The Lady of Time: Dragon Charmer
by sunkissedvampire
Summary: This is the beginning of something big, or is it the end? One can never tell with these sorts of things. Follow a woman as she struggles to balance everyday life while opening her eyes to the world long since past as she begins to realize her part in history is much more than a simple observer. The Lady of Time, Dragon Charmer, and Ex Manager at Tommy's Bar and Grill. preH-postLOTR
1. Chapter 1

Galadriel

Long ago in a time of wonder and possibilities great rings of power were created

Given as gifts to all of the free races of the world

They each held a power hidden away.

But the tale of The One Ring is known to all.

Its dark intent waiting to be realized.

While the men, dwarves, elves, and Dark Lord harnessed their rings power

There was one that slipped away . . .

For like all of the rings this one too was given a mind of its own

And it foresaw the coming darkness and chose to hide

To lie in wait

And bide its time.

Lost to the forest this one ring was

And while time passed and wars were raged

While men, elves, and dwarves fought

It waited.

So long did it sit beneath a great tree deep within the woods that it soon disappeared

Enveloped by the wood and drawn deep into its core

And when Man was the only one left of the free people

Long after the great deeds of old had been forgotten

Was that tree cut down

Young eyes found the ring deep within a fire

A fire of joy and laughter

Surrounded by tales of old and whispers of things to come

Those young eyes waited until the dead of night to return

And claimed the ring as their own.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hi there, thanks for checking out this story, I know pretty much everything that can be done with Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit has already been done so I ask you to have patience with me. I am not a purist, I don't know everything there is to know about Middle Earth but I've been researching as I go. Some things may seem different then what you would expect but I ask you to use suspension of disbelief and just enjoy the ride.**

** I use a lot of music for inspiration and referred to the soundtracks themselves to help scenes flow. For example this chapter I started out with the Shire theme. **

**I welcome constructive criticism! If you have any opinions I would love to hear them as I wish to improve. So enjoy, here is the first chapter. **

** Disclaimer: I of course do not own anything except for my own original characters. **

"Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I were to go on an adventure. If I just packed up what I could in my bag, locked my apartment door, and stepped out under the trees in front of my home and just walked. I would do it at the beginning of fall I think, when the leaves are turning orange and the breeze is crisp, drawing attention away from the concrete and smog. I'd wear my favorite pair of brown leather boots that gave each step a satisfying 'clack'. Nothing would stop me from traveling to Paris, Japan, or Australia. I would see the world and take all that I could, storing everything away in my heart to remember always, and when I had done all that I wanted to I would return home and write about what I had discovered."

"That's really beautiful Katy but when are you going to finish the dishes?"

"Mom!" Katelyn Jones stared at her mother, a woman of stern character, and threw her arms in the air in a delayed attempt to mime her frustrations.

"I'm just saying, we finished dinner an hour ago," her mother responded with a chuckle.

"This is important stuff here," Katy responded. She ran her hands through her short red hair and let out a puff of air in a defeated sigh. It seemed like their conversation acted as a mask for an age old argument. Katy herself was a dreamer and found it hard to subjugate herself to the norm of the time: getting a good office job, finishing school, finding a husband . . .And yet her mother constantly insisted on yanking her head out of the clouds and sitting her sorry behind right back where she felt it belonged – reality – as she called it.

"Calm down, no need to be so touchy, it's just that I told the little ones we would open a present after everything was cleaned up." Her mother spoke while halfheartedly filling a pot with soapy water in the kitchen sink. "They've been sending you the stink eye for the past twenty minutes. I'm only thinking of your welfare."

Katy turned on her bar stool to look over into the living room where her niece and nephew sat on the hardwood floor next to a well-lit Christmas tree. The thing was laden with so many decorations that it drooped under the heavy burden. It was putting up a good fight though. She swiveled back around to look at her mother over the white tiled bar and lifted a brow.

"I think I'll survive."

Her mother only raised her hands in defeat before wiping them off on a stained apron tied around her waist. She pulled her long red curls into a bun and turned towards the sink once more. She may have given off a stern no-nonsense attitude but her mother definitely had a good spark of humor in her. Katy smiled affectionately at the woman from behind her back and looked down at the scribbled paper sitting on the counter in front of her with a sigh.

"Alright, alright," she exclaimed. The two youngsters in the other room cheered while she slid from her stool and moved around the counter to help her mother clean up after the Christmas Eve dinner. It was one of the few times the whole family got together now that all of Judy Jones' children were grown and out of the house, living their one lives. Blundering through it more likely Judy would say. Katy was the youngest of three and whiles her older brother and sister had gone off and become successful, started their own families, Katy herself had gotten a job at a restaurant and had worked her way up to becoming a manager. Even though she made a decent amount of money her mother still had yet to approve of her decision. Katy could do so much better. Just to appease Judy she had returned to school and had decided to earn a bachelor in Business Management in hopes of opening her own restaurant.

"I don't see why they aren't helping with this catastrophe. We were cleaning up after dinner before we could even walk!" Katy grumbled. Her eyes roved over the counters hidden underneath a mess of dishes and left over food.

"They can't even reach the sink you drama queen," Judy chided.

"That's why God invented dangerous bar stools," she muttered.

"What did you just say?" Her mother shot her a playful glare.

"Nothing."

Katy resigned herself to the work, scrubbing at pots and pans, and staring out the window above the sink hopelessly while listening to the laughter and conversations coming from the living room. Why am I the only one punished like this? She wondered halfheartedly. She was twenty-two years old and still doing the dishes in her mother's home. She didn't even live there mind you!

"Katy Kat! Pick me up!" The little voice of her five year old niece cried. She stood in front of the woman, curling and uncurling her fingers in demand for attention. Her strawberry blond curls were a mess and sticky after decorating cookies. Around her waist was a ballerina tutu gifted to her from Santa himself.

"No, you little turd, I know what you're doing," she said. She quirked a brow when the little girl giggled and wiped her frosting covered hands on her own pants. Her mother was talking to Judy on the other side of the living room. Something to do with Taxes? Maybe? Emma's father was playing with some over sized Legos on the ground, watching their three year old son carefully, despite the fact that the Legos were too large for him to choke on. Katy sighed and lifted her purse from the couch. "I'm off you guys," she turned towards the front door.

"Why don't you just spend the night?" Judy questioned, "You're going to be back here tomorrow morning anyways."

"What gives? Do you hate us that much?" Katy's father asked from his spot on the couch, watching Star Wars.

" . . .Fine" she relented.

She found herself in her old room, lying in a twin sized bed, staring at the ceiling fan as it rotated slowly. It had been so long since she had actually spent the night in her old room that she found herself reminiscing on her childhood. She had lived in the same town for as long as she could remember. She could walk down the neighborhood street and name the old occupants of each house, how many times said occupants allowed her over for dinner, and whose children she most often got up to no good with. There was one acre Tony, who was the only one to have a whole one acre backyard. Savannah, who had both a pool AND a hot tub, and would often be found playing in the creek that ran behind the neighborhood despite the existence of said pool and hot tub.

Katy sighed and lifted the chain around her neck, fiddling with the ring hanging from it, and turned her head to look at the window.

It was a beautiful night.

On nights like that one, when she was a child, they would all gather out by the creek and have a bonfire. Usually someone's parents would supervise. Sometimes not. But they always took care to watch the fire warily. Accept for that one time Jeffery brought those fireworks.

She giggled at the memory and closed her eyes.

Sleep sounded good.

"Wake up Kitty Kat!"

Katy groaned and opened bleary eyes to the lightening sky. The sun had not even fully risen and Emma was already bouncing on her bed, demanding that she forsake her peaceful slumber for the noisy group she could already hear downstairs. She pushed herself up and eyed the girl playfully before throwing her blankets over her and making a run for the door.

"Hey!" Emma cried out, struggling to follow after her aunt.

Christmas morning was always a chaotic event at the Jones household. There were four grandparents, two parents, one step mother, three siblings, their spouses, two step siblings, and three nieces and nephews to account for. Each and every one of them awake and chattering away with varying amounts of caffeine pumping through their systems. It was a merry event despite the grudging tension between Judy and Katy's step mother. There were great gifts, horrible gifts, gag gifts, and completely inappropriate gifts exchanged that morning. Katy's favorite was the blanket with a pot leaf gifted to her brother from her father. When he had pulled it out of the bag and dramatically unfurled it she had snorted with laughter. Her brother had looked at her father in alarm and, could it have been, guilt? Of course it was.

"Like I never knew what you were doing in the tree house when you were seventeen years old," her father had explained sarcastically.

"Daddy, what is that?" Danny, her seven year old nephew had questioned.

"It's from Canada," he had blurted out offhandedly before stuffing the gift away.

Katy had gotten a bike for Christmas. She had stared at it with a combination of appreciation and hatred. Her sister had only laughed. Katy had wrecked her car a month prior in a minor fender bender that had caused her '87 Honda Accord to crap out. "Very funny," she had exclaimed.

They of course had a large breakfast. The table was not big enough to fit the whole family and they had been forced to pull out a card table for the little ones to sit at with one supervising adult among them. Of course that adult was Katy, she was the youngest of the people of age in the family, and so she was left with the responsibility of making sure no one decided to shove their spoons down their throat. She sighed and brushed a piece of egg off of her shirt where it had landed after being flung by a stray swing of a fork.

"Sorry," Danny mumbled.

"It's fine," Katy said.

A week after the holiday found Katy riding her Christmas present to her early morning classes. Bundled up in a pair of jeans, leather boots and a jacket, she had felt ready to take on her morning calculus class with vigor. The first few days of classes were always the easiest though and she knew that her determination would begin to falter after the first test but still, she could hope. She steered around puddles on the gravel path she took through the local park in an attempt to save some time.

The two classes that she attended that morning were simple. Both professors only went over the class syllabus and explained what was expected of them throughout the next semester. Easy stuff. She had met up with her friend Cassie after wards to have an early lunch and share concerns about their fellow male students and their attractiveness. Katy was not one to usually indulge in dating. There had been a fiasco some years back that had left her rather stunted in the romance department and so she had vowed not to go about searching for a boyfriend. But that did not mean she could not admire.

"There is this really cute guy that sat in front of me, but I'm not too sure, he kind of seems like a secret ass hole," Katy admitted.

"Well, it doesn't really matter if he is or not, you still probably wouldn't date him. I'm sure you'd find something wrong." Cassie stirred her fruity beverage absently while watching people pass by out front of the restaurant.

Cassie had met Katy back in their freshmen year of high school and they had been good friends since. While many of their old friends dropped off the face of the Earth it would seem, they had kept in contact and had taken classes together after graduation.

"Ouch," Katy shot back. Though there was little energy behind it.

They both laughed.

"So I was thinking about getting a dog," Katy threw out randomly in between comfortable lulls in conversation.

"Really?" Cassie perked up. She pushed brown hair over one shoulder and shifted in her seat. "Do you think you're home enough to take care of a dog?"

"Yeah, I guess, I think it'll encourage me to stay home more, honestly. I've been spending all my money going out to eat and smoking at the hookah bar down the street rather than saving." She scrunched her nose in thought while Cassie hummed and picked at her fries absently.

"It couldn't hurt, I can take it if you can't handle it anyways," she responded with a laugh.

"Yeah, yeah," she muttered. "I've got to pee, be right back."

Katy pushed herself out of the booth and slithered through the growing lunch crowd to the back where the bathroom was located. She generally hated going out to restaurants during the busy hours since she herself worked at one and she more than sympathized with the employees of whatever food establishment she visited. The stomach wants what the stomach wants, however, but she vowed to leave a decent tip. She pulled out her phone and scrolled through her facebook feed, only vaguely paying attention to the pictures and videos posted, and pulled the bathroom door open.

Or at least, she thought it had been the bathroom.

She looked up and paused, mid step, confused and more than a little disturbed by what she saw. Just to make sure that she was not insane she took a step back to look at the sign hung on the door. It was definitely the sign for the women's restroom. She leaned back into the room with a curious arch to her eyebrow and took in the two men, both wearing robes of opposing states of disrepair; obviously the older of the two had been doing some serious traveling for his grey robes were dusty and frayed while the younger of the two, sitting behind a heavy oak desk, wore elegant silken robes of green. The two stared at her as if she had just asked them whether or not they knew where she could get a three headed duck. A bit extreme, but their expressions were quite amusing upon looking back.

"Sorry, this isn't the women's bathroom, is it?"

The two men shared a quick glance, laden with hidden meaning and urgency, before the older of the two turned towards her with an awkward clearing of the throat.

"I don't believe it is my lady," he replied.

As if she had not heard his response, she squeaked out a quick "Sorry!" before stepping out and slamming the door shut behind her.

The sounds of the restaurant which had previously gone silent returned and she let out a shaky breath. She took a second to compose herself, shaking off the strange event as nothing more than a sleep deprived hallucination, and hesitantly pulled the door open once more. Awaiting her on the other side was the average women's restroom. Cracked white tile and flickering fluorescent lighting and all. She pulled the door shut again, no longer interested in anything that had to do with that bathroom, and made her way back to their booth in a bit of a daze.

She made no mention of the event to Cassie. Knowing her friend she would have only shaken her head at her and sent her away with the instructions to "actually sleep for a change instead of sitting up all night fiddling with her instruments". Katy had a bad habit of putting off sleep for other more important things like going to parties and playing music. This had absolutely no effect on her grades of course, those just dropped of their own accord. She silently fretted and was wracked with guilt at her lack of responsibility and confusion at the strange event. She knew she had been bound to crack eventually she just didn't know it would be at such a young age. She should have listened to her mother sooner!

"Did you fall in?" Cassie questioned when Katy finally returned.

"No!" She shot back distractedly. Her eyes scanned the restaurant, wondering if she would see the two men again, or if anyone was going to grow a duck head out of their neck, before sliding into the booth with a shaky sigh.

Cassie shrugged, not truly concerned about her friends mood swing, assuming that it had more to do with her menstrual cycle and not a bathroom delusion.

Katy forgot about the strange event and returned to her usual routine. She rode her bike every morning to classes and worked nights at Tommy's Bar and Grill. When she had a bit of spare time she would normally visit her favorite hookah bar, play a song or two on her guitar, or procrastinate homework assignments. Her nights were spent attempting to write music. She would pace about her studio apartment in a baggy gym shirt and her underwear, struggling to piece together a melody while the thought of bills and school work threatened in the back of her mind. She did it often enough to know that one should close the blinds before taking their pants off at night. She had learned that the hard way.

When the sun's rays peeked in through her window she groaned and threw up her arms in frustration before running to start the shower. If she was lucky she could chug an energy drink and make it through calculus without falling asleep. She had only ever once fallen asleep during a class and though she had not been caught for it, the amount of guilt and shame she felt was ridiculous and she made it a goal not to repeat the incident. She didn't worry about throwing together a decent outfit or drying her hair that morning. She settled on a pair of jeans and a black band t-shirt before stumbling out the door.

She peddled as fast as she could that morning and when she had finally made it to the park she allowed herself to glide down the steep path, panting. The sky was mostly clear with a few patches of clouds floating by, but the sun was not so strong that she wished for more shade. Still, she was glad that she had thought to pull on a pair of sunglasses before leaving that morning. She took a few seconds to flip through the songs on her phone, adjust her headphones, and catch her breath before continuing down the gravel trail.

It was at that moment that she felt like she was being watched.

Rather than look about in curiosity like any normal observant person would she instead chose to keep her eyes focused forward. She had realized that her surroundings were not quite what she had thought they were because, while she was sure she was still deep within the park, out of the corner of her eye she could see the figures of several buildings. Somewhere off to her right she heard the distinct rumble of falling water. And if she wasn't mistaken, there were several people standing about watching her as she passed by.

What the hell?

She wanted to cry. This was all because she had stayed up all night trying to finish her song rather than being responsible and doing homework. "I just need a nap," she declared out loud and continued peddling towards her destination. She could not afford to be distracted by crazy delusions when she had to go to her calculus class and listen to a professor drone on and on while he brain slowly melted into goop.

…..

"Who is she?" the younger looking of the two asked. His brows scrunched together in worry while his eyes followed the figure of the girl on the strange contraption rolling through his gardens. Several of his people gathered about and watched as she rode down one of the many well-trodden pathways.

"I'm not quite sure," the old man responded absently, "but I have my suspicions." He lit a wooden pipe and drew a deep pull from it before blowing a turquoise ring of smoke. It was wafted away by the slight breeze and carried high into the sky.

The Lord was half tempted to roll his eyes but instead focused his gaze ahead. Why must the wizard always lead him around in circles? Even he grew tired of it after a while.

The old man chuckled, watching as the girl's figure dwindled away between trees, and the people below went back to their previously forgotten tasks.

"All in due time," the wizard was quick to appease.

"I am afraid time is a dangerous thing to hand out these days," responded the other. He turned away from the balcony and stepped back into the study, long robes trailing behind him.

"Really now," he turned to follow the lord with his eyes, "I thought you were still under the impression that this was an age of peace." He became a bit flustered, stuffy almost, and would have snorted had he been speaking to anyone else.

"And I still believe it is so," he amended, "but that does not mean that I am blind to the possibilities of what may happen in the future." He looked down at a map weighed down by smoothed stones and an inkwell in the center of his oak desk, an ominous and dark expression on his face, and let out a deep sigh. "I am not a fool, despite how often you must think I am-."

"I assure you-."

"Oh, spare me," he chuckled tiredly. "I know I have made mistakes in my time."

"My dear friend, I have never taken you for a fool," the wizard sighed and smiled tightly at the lord. "Putting the past aside, I believe that some things have been set into motion that we may not fully understand just yet."

"I only hope that it is not something devastating," he said.

"As do I," the old man agreed.

….

It was the night her mother and father were fighting that everything finally came into the light. Or at least, she realized that she was not losing her mind. She had been locked away within the managers back office at Tommy's, listening to her mother ranting over the phone about what Katy wasn't even sure, and had just decided it was time to intervene Judy's rambling when she was struck with a sudden wave of exhaustion. She didn't panic, as this was nothing new to her since she barely ever slept, but it was enough to nudge a spike of irritation into existence.

"I don't even understand why you guys are still fighting, it's not as if either of you has to worry about child support or custody anymore. We're all grown and out of the house, mother, why not just cut ties and leave him be?" she took a deep breath, listening to the obvious stunned silence on the other end of the line.

Honestly, the two had been divorced for nearly seventeen years, her father had remarried, and yet they still found things to fight over. Katy had figured they just liked hearing themselves yell and since the kids were all grown and no longer trouble making little monsters they had to turn on each other for entertainment.

"Because he's your father, Katy Kat, and a bit of me will always love him."

The words rattled around in her mind, sending little bursts of pain to flicker out inside her chest, and dredged up ancient hopes of once again being a whole and happy family. She had put those hopes to rest a long time ago and it pained her to be reminded of them now, nearly a decade later. She fought back the surge of guilt and rubbed at her eyes tiredly. Her family may not be perfect but it was big, unique, and loving. That was all she needed.

"Anyways, I have to go, some of the girls are coming over tonight and I promised I would have something good for them to eat," Judy laughed lightly.

"Bye Mom, I love you," Katy warbled. She drew a circle on a sticky note, absently scribbling with a broken pen while she spoke.

"I love you too," Judy responded before ending the call.

Katy hoped that her mother truly had a few friends coming over and that she hadn't just used it as an excuse to end the phone call without worrying her.

"Katy!"

The emotionally drained woman leaned around the door frame and called back, "What?"

"Have you counted yet? I don't want to be here till four in the morning again." A man, older than her by only a handful of years, stepped out from the kitchen wearing a hoodie reserved for counting stock in the walk in freezer. His hair was brown and cut short and his eyes were blue surrounded by dark shadows but he had crow's feet that attested his good sense of humor.

"Sorry! I'm on it now," she replied before reaching for her own sweater hanging off the back of her chair. She pulled it over her head and made her way into the kitchen with a clipboard in hand. There were only a couple kitchen guys still on the clock as the place had closed an hour ago. Everyone was finishing for the night and getting everything cleaned up. The floors were being mopped at the moment and she stepped carefully despite her slip resistant shoes. She had fallen in the dish pit once, where everyone dumped the uneaten food and drinks before piling them up for the dish washer to take care of, and she had never been able to live it down. She had been forced to change because the floor had been covered in pieces of food and grime built up throughout the day. One of the younger waiters had caught sight of her pulling her shirt off in her car. They had both frozen like deer in headlights before the boy had ducked his head and hurried into the restaurant and she had been left mortified knowing that everyone would have heard about it by the end of the night.

She pulled the freezer door open, feeling the dense cold air spill out, and watched her breath spiral up before stepping in and lifting the first box she found. She brought it out to the nearest counter space and opened it while she thought. She could probably visit her mother tomorrow and surprise her with a few movies and some popcorn to cheer her up, Judy loved movie nights, and it had been the traditional way to apologize between them for as long as she could remember. They would definitely have to watch something funny but most assuredly not a romantic comedy. The both of them were so against Rom. Com.'s that it was laughable. They scrunched their noses and stuck out their tongues whenever they were stuck watching one. Judy had given up on romance after her divorce and Katy had never believed in it to begin with.

Katy was pulling her third box of chicken from the cooler when she turned around and once again found herself in unfamiliar surroundings.

The instinct to panic was quashed by her instant nosiness.

She was in some kind of greenhouse like room, one whole wall containing nothing but opened windows that allowed the humid night air to envelope her, but she could still feel the cool air of the freezer on her back and she fought down the shiver. The room was lit by moonlight and one small candle whose light reached further than it should have. The gentle glow was enough to put her pounding heart at ease, reminding her of her childhood nights snuggled up next to her mother on the couch while she read out loud to her. She heard crickets chirping away far below.

"I've been expecting you."

Katy dropped the box of chicken and spun on her heels. What kind of creepy and cliche asshole . . .? she trailed off in thought. Behind her stood one of the two men she had first seen a few weeks ago. He was tall with an air of gentle authority she found herself comforted by despite the strange circumstances. She stared at his strange silken robes and long dark hair pulled back to reveal pointed . . .ears?

"You're the one from the girl's bathroom!" Katy blurted without thought.

The man quirked a brow but did not respond. He clasped his hands behind his back and moved around her, as silent and graceful as a cat, he glided over towards the opened windows as he spoke. "I was told that you would undoubtedly find your way back to us," he began, "Mithrandir believes you have some part in the future of Middle Earth and I find that, although his ways may sometimes be frustrating, he is almost always right."

"Wait, what?" she waved her arms in the air and shook her head. "I have no idea who, or what, you're talking about. Why do I keep ending up here? Where is _here_?" She glanced around the room while she fired of questions, taking in all the plants that dominated the counters; they all looked like weeds or average plants. Not the kind of plants someone would use to decorate. Medicinal purposes then? She scowled, irritated with her whimsical train of thoughts in an otherwise serious situation and pulled herself from her contemplation's to listen to the man in front of her.

"I am sure you are most confused but be at ease, this is a safe place, you are in my home," he turned to look her in the eye and continued, "I am Lord Elrond and this is the last homely house known as Rivendell." He spoke calmly and quietly as if to a distressed child and Katy found herself reassured despite the rebellious spirit within her demanding to be treated like an adult. Lord Elrond guided her closer to the open windows and gestured for her to take a look. What she saw took her breath away. The grand house grew from the forested valley around it, or at least, that was how it appeared to Katy. Swooping arches and grand walk ways, the sound of rushing water, and elegant gardens were all lit with soft lights to combat the darkness of the night and lend aid to the moon. And throughout it all beautiful ethereal people glided. They wore robes and gowns much like Elrond's, that pooled on the ground and trailed behind them as they walked, and lent them even more of an otherworldly feel.

Katy found herself leaning out the window to get a closer look and as she did her ring swung free from her sweater and glinted in the moonlight. She felt more than saw Elrond move closer and reach an arm around her to lead her away from the window. She looked up at him and was surprised to find a rather weary and resigned look on his face. He dropped his gaze to her and smiled tiredly.

"Come, I am sure Mithrandir would wish to speak with you, and perhaps we can get some refreshments for you," he said. Although Katy was grateful for his kindness she could tell that he was restraining himself, from what she wasn't sure, but he seemed awfully suspicious of her.

He lead her through long hallways made of stone and while it normally would have felt heavy and oppressive the open windows every few feet were enough to put anyone at ease. While the two walked Elrond was greeted by several beautiful people as they passed. They would bow their heads and give a polite "Lord Elrond" before gracing her with a confused and curious look. Soon Katy began to feel more than a bit out of place, of course she knew that she was LITERALLY out of place, but she was still wearing her flour covered work pants and the sweater she had reserved for counting in the kitchen so it smelled a bit like frozen chicken and fryer grease. She halfheartedly wiped at her pants. If she wasn't so preoccupied with her appearance she would have noticed that Elrond had long since guided her into another room. It was rather familiar, she realized when she had finally looked, and couldn't help the chuckle that escaped when she realized it was the first room she had appeared in. She refrained from making a silly comment in mind of the somewhat serious atmosphere that exuded from Lord Elrond and instead cleared her throat.

"So she did manage to make it back to us."

The older gentleman Katy recognized from before stepped inside from the balcony, a smoking pipe in hand and an amused sparkle in his eye.

"Yes, she did, and will you please put that ghastly thing away," Elrond gestured to the pipe as he moved around the heavy wooden desk and took a seat with a sigh. His robes hardly whispered as he moved, Katy noted.

By that point Katy was feeling lost. Not that she had actually known what was going on at any point so far in her strange adventure, but she had come to the realization that they had some idea of why she was there, and that irritated her. She had been in a daze from the moment she had stepped out of the freezer at Tommy's and yet, despite the kindness and calm Elrond radiated, she had found herself beginning to grow frustrated. It was to be expected of course and Katy was actually surprised she hadn't grown angry and started throwing a fit yet. She stood just inside the room where Elrond had left her, feeling exposed and at the same time ignored while the two men spoke to each other, she let out a heavy sigh. She must have slipped in the freezer and bumped her head. That's how it happened in the movies, wasn't it? The hero went on some grand adventure and in the end woke in a hospital bed only to discover it had been a coma induced dream. She lifted a hand and ran it through her hair, searching for a bump or sore spot, and was startled when a hand gently grasped her arm and pulled her over to a chair situated in front of Elrond's desk.

"Come and make yourself comfortable, my dear, we have much to discuss," the old man explained. He slipped his pipe into his robes where it would be safely hidden away before taking a seat himself.

"Yes," Katy agreed and cleared her throat, embarrassed that she had been caught zoning out. "What exactly is going on? For the past few weeks I have popped into your home and at first I thought it was all a hallucination brought on by lack of sleep, but now I'm not so sure." She laughed and once again felt about the back of her head for a bump.

"You will find nothing there, I assure you," the old man muttered quietly. Once he was satisfied that she had finished probing about her head for non-existent bumps he smiled a strained smile and cleared his throat, "Now, may I ask your name and where you are from? Normally Lord Elrond would have played the gracious host but I am afraid his mind is elsewhere."

Lord Elrond rubbed at his temples with a sigh, "My apologies."

"It is quite understandable, things do tend to slip the mind over time," the old man nodded in understanding though Katy noticed the smiling crinkles around his eyes.

Elrond dropped his hand to his desk and leveled a look at the old man, "I would not talk of age if I were you, Gandalf."

Katy laughed, finding their banter silly and in an odd way relaxing. "My name is Katelyn Jones and I'm from Florida, though I doubt either of you know where that is."

"What would lead you to believe that Lady Jones," Gandalf asked from his seat next to her.

"Well, this whole situation is wonky to start with, you guys aren't using anything from where I'm from. There are candles and torches, elegant clothing, I didn't see any roads or hear any cars . . ." she trailed off with a sigh. "And then there's this map," she added, pointing to the parchment laid out across Elrond's desk, "I don't recognize it at all." She leaned back in the high backed armchair and let her eyes flicker up to meet Elrond's. He had remained quiet since she had spoken, choosing to observe while Gandalf worked to garner information. Sometimes more could be learned from observation than interrogation. "And to top it all off he is a Lord," she gestured to Elrond with a nod of her head, "and you called me Lady."

"I'm sure you are making valid points, unfortunately I have no knowledge of where you are from and thus cannot to see the contrasts you speak of." Gandalf removed his pipe from his robes and chewed on the end in thought. "Can you explain?" He turned concerned eyes on her.

"Well-," she paused and looked down in thought. How would she explain the difference in culture she had observed from the moment she arrived not thirty minutes ago? It was so blindingly obvious to her yet would it be so to them? "Where I am from we don't have Lords or Ladies. Some people have more money than others but everyone is still seen as equal . . .for the most part. We use electricity to light our homes at night and about a million other things . . ." she trailed off and reached into her back pocket. As if stunned by the realization that her phone was still there she pulled it out hesitantly. Had she expected it to magically disappear? "Like this," she lifted the phone for the two to see, "this is a cellphone. We use them to talk to people wherever they are in the world."

"May I?" Gandalf reached for the phone and she passed it over obligingly, watching as he examined it curiously. He paused when his fingers hit a button and the touch screen lit up. Katy leaned forward and noted that, though it was still fully charged, her phone did not have signal. "How does it work?"

"Well, I can't go into detail because I don't actually know the complicated science behind it but essentially-," she took the phone back from him and pulled the back off, extracted the battery, and held it out for the two to see. "Electricity, which is in essence a form of energy, is stored in here." She watched as the two stared at the cellphone battery curiously and she was surprised when Elrond took it from her gently and rubbed at it with his fingers. "But other than that I really have no clue," she shrugged, "society is not what it once was I'm afraid."

Gandalf's eyes snapped back to her face at her comment but he said nothing.

"Clearly," Elrond commented dryly. His eyes flitted to the revealing tank top she wore under her sweater and the tight black slacks the covered her legs. Katy scowled. Gandalf laughed and patted the woman's shoulder in good humor.

"Hey man, if tight pants are what it takes to appease angry guests then I will buy every pair of tight slacks that I can find." She patted her thighs appreciatively, "A manager's got to do what a manager's got to do."

"That's all well and good, but I fear it is time we discussed what we had originally gathered for," Elrond admonished lightly and placed the cellphone battery on the desk in front of him. Katy wanted to take it back and replace it, part of her yearning to have her phone even though it had no signal and was virtually useless; she could still play fruit ninja on it.

"Yes, you are right," Gandalf nodded and turned to face Katy once more. Suddenly he was not the silly old man whose presence Katy had found comfort in. Now he was deadly serious. "I believe you have something of interest to us."

"What?" Katy questioned wearily. She did not like the way the atmosphere had taken a grave tone. She relished in amusement and laughter, not in dark thoughts and serious conversations. Her eyes flitted between the two, unsure.

"It's there," Gandalf pointed to her necklace, "Hanging around your neck."

Katy scrunched her brows together and pulled the ring out from her shirt and glanced at it doubtfully, "My ring?" She pulled the chain over her head and held it out to the old man for him to take, she lifted a brow when he refused to do just that and instead settled on leaning forward to examine it. It was a simple silver band, not to thick, with a shooting star engraved on it. A look of relief washed over Gandalf's face and he leaned back in his chair with a sigh.

"May I ask how you came across it?" Elrond spoke from across his desk where he had locked his fingers together in thought. His elbows rested on his desk and his posture gave him quite the intimidating air.

Katy wondered just what she had gotten herself into. These strange men in a strange world were grilling her for information on things she did not quite understand herself. Had her mother been present should probably would have smacked her upside the head for being some open and trusting. She was too far into this mess to turn back now though, she realized, and feared angering them by not providing any information she could. She was a push over when it came to pleasing people on a normal basis anyways, why do you think she was a manager at a restaurant?

"I was little," she stammered, concerned for the emotions that her simple ring seemed to be stirring within the two. "We had bonfires in the field behind our neighborhood all the time and one night I saw it in the fire, it was so strange how it was just there, like it had been encased in the wood and freed. I didn't say anything to anyone and when the fire had been put out I returned for it. I never put it on though, something always stopped me . . ." she trailed off and rolled the ring about in her palm thoughtfully.

"And how about now?" Gandalf questioned, leaning forward once more. The room seemed to fall silent, even the white noise one always hears was lost among the oppressive atmosphere; it seemed to be holding its breath.

Katy glanced at him before turning her eyes back to the ring. She scrunched her nose in thought before pulling the ring off the chain and bringing it towards her right ring finger, hesitating for a second. She felt nothing. She slid the ring onto her finger and her eyes widened. She had attempted to put it on so many times throughout the years she had had it and now it slipped on with not a single problem.

"Was that wise?" Elrond spoke darkly. He did not move his eyes away from the ring.

"I believe so. Surely you realize that it is not the one," Gandalf responded in the same manner, eyes fixated on the silver band.

"Yes, but that ring was never recorded, we do not know its name much less its power." Elrond watched the woman who had yet to move from her position, staring at the ring, unseeing.

"No, but I do not sense any darkness within it. I think she has a part to play in the protection of Middle Earth though she may not know it yet." Gandalf stood and replaced his pipe within his robes. "I must be off," he exclaimed.

"Where are you going?" Elrond questioned.

"To do some digging, my friend, and find out just what Lady Jones part will be in this world." Gandalf adjusted the pointed hat on his head and moved towards the door, stopping to grab his staff which had sat resting against the wall by the door. "In the meantime watch over her."

Elrond watched the wizard depart before turning to face the muddled woman who was now looking at him with a confused expression that only brought forth empathy within him. He sighed and stood, moving around the desk, and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder once more. "Come, I will see that you have a room made up for you and have some tea brought to you."

Katy stood and followed his lead, "What is this ring?" She asked, "Suddenly everything feels different. More vibrant and . . ." she trailed off, scowling at the first word that came to mind but realizing that nothing else would explain it, ". . .magical."

Elrond paused and looked her in the eye, "It is a ring of power, how it came to you I do not know, but it is yours and while I said this was a safe place I beg of you to refrain from speaking of it outside of this room." He eyed her until she nodded, satisfied that she understood he once more moved towards the door. "We will help you, do not worry yourself too much over it."

Once again she blindly followed him through the halls. She stared at the ring on her finger and frequently scanned the surrounding stone and gardens, admiring the clarity that she had never had before. She could not put into words the feeling that had settled within her stomach as soon as she had slipped the ring on, but it had been warm and pleasant and for a moment she had thought she heard the most beautiful of laughs. The sound still rung in her mind, filling her with joy and excitement, and she struggled to keep her emotions under control.

Lord Elrond had led her to a simple enough guest bedroom with a large four poster bed and an equally large balcony framed by wispy white curtains that floated about in the night breeze. The stone floor was covered by an ornate rug which she had squished her bare toes into as soon as Elrond had left. True to his word, another super model brought her a steaming cup of tea before smiling and leaving her to her own devices.

"Thank you!" she called after the woman.

"You are welcome," she responded just before shutting the door behind her.

Dear lord, what would Judy say to her situation?

The thought of her mother's reaction caused her to snort. She would be flabbergasted and act all standoffish, refusing to believe what was right in front of her. She could probably tell her word for word exactly what had happened and she would tell her to write a story about it and make money thinking it was nothing more than a day dream she had whipped up one day in class. She would probably be lectured afterwards about daydreaming in class. Typical.

Katy moved out onto the balcony and breathed in the warm steam from her tea clasped between her hands. A small mischievous smile pushed its way onto her face and she lifted the cup to hide it even though no one was there to witness it. She was standing on the balcony in a strangely familiar world gazing up at the starry sky with no plan or understanding of how she had gotten there or how she could get back. The fluttering of her heart would not be calmed.

Could this be an adventure?


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So, how do you like it so far? I would really like to get some feed back. How is the flow of the story? To quick? Too much detail about her life? Does she seem Mary Sue-ish? Not that I really care about the last one, I think we all have a Mary Sue in us somewhere, lol. If you guys are wondering, this story begins before The Hobbit by about ten years, so there is still relative peace in Middle Earth.**

Katy woke the next morning refusing to remove herself from the comfort of her blankets. She hadn't slept as well as she had that night in months. The thought of stepping onto the cold floor held her hostage under the blankets. She knew her alarm clock would be going off any second now if the light shining through her eyelids was anything to go by and yet she struggled against her wakefulness, trying to submerge herself into dreamless oblivion for a few more precious moments. The realization that she had not taken off her work clothes the night before, however, had her groggily stumbling from her bed and to her bathroom to shower.

She stared at herself in the mirror and rubbed at her eyes. Ignoring the smudged eyeliner and gunk she had removed she turned to the shower, shed her clothes, and jumped into the streaming hot water. She let out a contented sigh. She had just finished shaving, proud of herself that she managed to avoid cutting herself, when she heard her alarm clock go off. She shut the shower off, wrapped herself in a towel, and hurried out to hit the snooze button (one never knew if they were going to fall back asleep).

Once she had pulled on a clean pair of skinny jeans and a black long sleeve sweater she moved back into her bathroom to comb out her hair and brush her teeth. She was just reaching for her makeup bag under the counter when her phone started ringing. Her eyebrows scrunched together in thought, where had she left her phone last night?

Katy slipped out of her bathroom, rubbing at her eyes in frustration and froze.

This was not her room.

She spun around and looked back into the room she had just vacated.

But that was her bathroom.

Her phone was still ringing.

For whatever reason that fact that her phone was ringing seemed incredibly more important than her strange predicament because along with the familiar flogging molly song came the realization that it was on Lord Elrond's desk in his study and if she remembered correctly it had been taken a part.

Katy launched herself into action, throwing her door open and skidding out into the hall barefoot. She gave the passing people little more than a glance as she retraced their steps from the night before. She vaguely wondered how she could possibly hear her phone ringing from four hallways over. She found Lord Elrond's study door to be open and she shot through it, seeing the person in question holding the device curiously, unsure of what to do with it and a bit alarmed by the loud song.

She would never forget the image of Lord Elrond, all majestic like in his robes and long dark glossy hair cascading over his shoulders, staring incredulously at her phone like it had grown a mouth and bit him. He looked most offended.

"I'll take that!" She exclaimed.

The man turned to her and practically threw the device into her hands, glad to be rid of it.

Katy glanced at the caller ID and answered."Hello, this is Katy," she greeted.

"Hi there, this is Professor Grayson, I was just calling to make sure everything was alright. You weren't in class this morning and attendance will count throughout the semester. If you miss another day before the sixty percent mark I'll have to drop you." The male voice that filtered through the line sounded equal parts concerned and disappointed.

"Right, yes, of course. I'm sorry, I just . . ." Katy trailed off, out of breath. "I was in an accident last night and I've been trying to rest." What a lying little . . .why me? She thought hopelessly while Elrond quirked a brow at her and moved towards the door.

"Oh, well then, please return as soon as you are able. I will email you the notes from this morning's class," he responded.

"Yes, thank you, I-," she stopped and turned to look at Elrond who had shut the door just as the line cut off. What? She looked at her phone in confusion, noting that it once again had no signal. "I don't understand . . ." she dropped her arm to her side and looked to the carved ceiling hopelessly. She fell into the nearest seat feeling overwhelmed by her situation, by the utterly surreal turn her life had taken, and she felt completely at a loss. What was she supposed to do now? She obviously couldn't control when she would return back to her world, how would she finish school? Or keep her job? Or keep her family from freaking out and locking her in an insane asylum? Sure, she didn't exactly have any long term goals in life other than opening her own restaurant, but the thought that she wouldn't be able to return to her own apartment every night had her scared. To think she had been excited for an adventure just last night.

"Do not fret Lady Kaitlyn, I am here to help," Elrond smiled kindly at her and clasped his hands behind his back. "Now, perhaps you can explain to me how you first found yourself in my study those few weeks ago and we can work from there."

Katy gazed at the gentle soul in front of her as though he were her last hope, "I was going to the bathroom."

Elrond stared at her blankly, "I feel that there is more to it than that."

"There really isn't," she answered. "I was going to the bathroom and when I pulled open the door you guys were there."

Elrond sighed through his nose and moved to sit at his desk, "I see."

"It's weird. Every time that I've shown up here I returned just as quickly but I've been here for several hours and have yet to return to my world, except for just now of course." She scratched at her cheek in thought, gazing outside at the gardens layering Rivendell.

"Perhaps it is simply because you wished to stay," he said thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" she asked defensively. Why would she have wanted to stay? She liked her life back home well enough. She had things to do, sure she had wanted an adventure, but she had hoped she would have had some time to get her things in order before being whisked away. But life is not as simple as that, she would learn soon enough.

"Well, you were always shocked when you appeared. I would assume that anyone in your situation would wish it to not be so and bid a hasty retreat." He had dropped his eyes to some papers on his desk that he read over while he spoke. "I managed to surprise you last night and draw you into conversation before you could run."

"Maybe you're right," she agreed absently, deep in thought. "This morning when I woke up I thought I was in my own room. I realized that I had to get up and get ready for school so I walked to the nearest door and suddenly I was in my own bathroom."

"Well, it would seem that all it takes for you to jump between worlds is the want to do so," Elrond observed, "and a door". His brows scrunched together over something he had read and Katy smiled at him. She enjoyed catching people at their most open moments. "Why don't you try it?" he glanced up at her and she hastened to appear natural.

"I guess I could give it a shot," she admitted and pushed herself from her seat. She thought of her apartment, the hardwood floor and the way it always smelled of library books, but nothing happened. No matter how much she yearned for it her surroundings did not change. She imagined she must have looked ridiculous standing in the middle of his study with her brows scrunched together in concentration.

Elrond looked up at her once more and gestured towards the door, "try using the door, it is possible that the physical action of moving from one room to another may help."

Why is he so smart? She wondered irritably before taking his advice and hesitantly pulling the door open.

Daylight streamed in to the study and her eyes were greeted with the sight of her messy apartment. The floor was littered with books and shoes, her bed was rumpled and looked slept in, and her bathroom light was still on.

Katy closed the door and looked over her shoulder, meeting the somewhat amused eyes of Elrond, before once more opening the door. Her apartment was still there.

Excited with her new discovery she stepped into her apartment and ran to her window. She pressed her face against the glass and stared down at the street, marveling at her neighbors as they acted out their usual morning routines. Her phone rang.

"Hello?" She hadn't bothered to look and see who was calling her so excited was she to be back in contact with her own world.

"Hi!" It was Cassie.

"What's up?" Katy asked absently, watching as a car drove by outside.

"Are you going to the hookah bar tonight? A new band is supposed to be playing." Cassie continued to speak but Katy had long since tuned her out. The realization that she could still continue with her life at home gave her an almost euphoric sense of accomplishment that she did not quite understand.

"I don't think I will be, I have some homework to do," she answered lamely.

"Oh . . .well okay then."

Cassie hung up soon after that and Katy slid her phone into her pocket, still in awe, before returning to Lord Elrond's study. He looked up at her from his desk expectantly.

"Well?" he asked.

Katy could only grin in return. No words could describe what she was feeling just then.

Elrond glanced at a grand old clock standing guard next to his door before he turned back to her, sliding his papers away and said, "Now, you have been caught in the midst of a very peculiar situation and as Mithrandir has left to gather information on your ring, it is my duty to see that you are taken care of."

"That's great," Katy admitted, "But I do have work and classes to go to. I'm not quite sure how to work with . . ." she trailed off and gestured at the room with her hands, ". . .this." She reclaimed her seat in front of his desk.

Elrond nodded and leaned back in his chair to think. "If you feel it is necessary to keep up with your responsibilities then perhaps we can work out a schedule for you to check in. You must understand that what you have there," he pointed at her ring and looked at her meaningfully, "is something very rare and no doubt powerful." He glanced down at his own ring, Vilya, and lifted his hand for her to see. "Both Mithrandir and I are ringbearers ourselves, which is why we feel responsible for you, and I will make sure that you are properly educated on this one and the other nineteen known to us."

"Alright," she nodded having no real input. She was quiet, eager to hear his plan, and ready to take on a new aspect of her life. Though she would tell you otherwise, she was actually very nervous.

"I do not know when Mithrandir will return. It may be a month from now or it may very well be a year from now before we hear anything from him and in the mean time I will require you to be here as often as possible. How do you spend your days normally?" he asked.

"I have classes in the morning and I work at night. I generally have a few hours in between of free time but that's about all I can say for sure. My work schedule is not set, sometimes I work well into the mornings, occasionally I get a day off . . ." she shrugged apologetically.

"Do you . . ." he struggled to ask without sounding offensive, "Live with anyone?"

"No," she laughed as he winced.

He seemed relieved at her answer, "that will make things a bit more easy then. Why do you not just return here every night?"

Katy thought about it and realized she was quite alright with spending every night in Rivendell. If she thought about it she felt like she would be staying at a hotel or sleeping over at a friend's house. Not to mention the amount of money she would save by doing so. If she stayed in Rivendell her utility bills would plummet, she could probably get away with spending less on food, and if she practiced using doors she could save time rather than biking everywhere.

They spoke of plans and ideas for the next hour. Elrond promised her that she would be assigned a teacher to tutor her in the ways of Middle Earth and if she wished she was free to roam about Rivendell as she wanted. She would be provided with everything that she needed.

It all seemed too good to be true and she wondered when in it would blow up in her face. She glanced down at her ring and sighed, it glowed warmly in the daylight as if to comfort her.

Elrond had fallen silent long ago but he had not thought to dismiss her from his study as he was deep in thought. They were both thinking of what the future had to hold and were both gaining a new understanding of how exhausting it would no doubt be. He leaned forward with a sigh and rested his arms on his desk just as there was a knock on the door.

"Enter," he answered lightly.

His door swung open to admit two identical men. They casually strolled in, clearly in the middle of a conversation (something to do with a horse and an angry dwarf), and paused upon noticing the woman sitting in front of the desk.

"Well hello there," one of them grinned slyly. "Who is this pretty little thing?"

"Elladan, Elrohir, this is our guest Katelyn Jones." Elrond introduced, "Katelyn, these are my sons."

Katy was too stunned by their perfect facial structure and glossy, flowing, hair to respond. Unlike their father, who was adorned in graceful robes, these two were wearing tunics and breeches fit for maneuverability and travel though no less elegant. They being twins, of course, had an air of mischief about them that Katy immediately found herself liking. Despite their attractiveness and presence, however, her eyes were drawn to their ears.

"Do you all have pointed ears?" she questioned, glancing between the three curiously and shamelessly. Was it some kind of genetic defect that they passed down to their children? They certainly flaunted them as if they weren't.

She was greeted with a silence that lasted several seconds before the brothers broke out into laughter. Katy scowled and turned to Elrond only to find him smirking, clearly fighting off his own laughter. Oh great, she thought, now I'm at the butt end of a joke.

"What?" She snapped.

"Forgive me," Elrond waved her off as if to disperse her misgivings. "Lady Jones, have you not heard of Elves where you are from?" he watched her imploringly, still smiling at her despite his best efforts to remain stoic.

"Elves?" she snorted. She had never gotten into the fantasy genre, she was more of a supernatural science fiction kind of girl, and so she was at a loss when it came to the magical. The only things coming to mind about elves were Santa Clause and the Renaissance Festival that took place in her town once a year. She remembered seeing several people dressed as pointy eared men and women.

Elrond only raised his brows.

"Surely you can't mean to tell me that you thought we were men. We're far too handsome for that lot," Elladan chortled while his brother moved over towards the window seat.

"But elves don't exist," Katy sounded skeptical; "they only show up in stories and lore."

"All legend and lore must stem from a truth," Elrohir commented gently.

Katy turned to look at the quieter of the twins. He had perched himself on the deep set windowsill with one knee brought up to his chest, he watched her oddly, his blue eyes bright with curiosity. She could see a lot of Elrond in him, now that she looked carefully, his jaw and nose clearly belonged to his father. His eyes, however, were not the steely grey of Elrond.

"There is no magic where I am from. There are no elves, no dwarves, or wizards." She watched as Elrond set his papers aside and gave her his full attention, curious of where she was going with her rambling. "No dragons, no knights in shining armor, or princess waiting to be rescued. Just plain old people going to work every day until they die," she finished lamely. Absently, she marveled at the dance his papers were participating in. How many times had he shuffled them by now? At least three.

The twins sent their father curious and slightly alarmed looks from opposite ends of the room that he placated with a wave of his hand and a silent promise to explain everything later.

"You said you yourself had work tonight," Elrond reminded.

"Yes," she admitted with a heavy sigh.

"Why don't you go and make yourself ready and by the time that you return tonight I will have had a more permanent room prepared for you. We will discuss things further tonight." Elrond interlaced his fingers in front of his mouth, once more adopting that pensive look.

"You really shouldn't wait up for me, sir. I work quite late and I'm sure you don't want to be up talking with me after I've been working in a restaurant for several hours. I don't usually smell all that great," she laughed lightly.

"I assure you it will not be a problem," Elrond smiled at her from behind his hands.

"Right," she muttered.

Katy pushed herself out of her chair once more and left through the door of Elrond's study but stepped into her apartment. Once she had shut the door she felt a slight tug somewhere in her stomach but brushed it off as nerves. The surrealness of the situation left her feeling oddly disconnected from her own reality and so she shook her head to focus on the more important things. The realization that, if things were to go according to plan, than Katy would be running herself ragged for an undetermined amount of time left her feeling out of breath and weighed down. She'd done it before when she had first started college. She had worked full time, part time, and still struggled through four classes successfully. She had suffered three mental breakdowns and had made herself physically sick on more than one occasion because of it. Not to mention that her horrible sleeping habits and become all that much worse since. Not only that, but now she was forced to believe that there was real magic in the world, maybe not in the way she had originally wished as a child, but there was something more. She glanced down at her ring for what felt like the hundredth time since she had slipped it on and rubbed the silver band with a finger thoughtfully. Everything felt differently now, even her apartment seemed stale in comparison to the world she had just come from, and yet it was still her same old home. The same old home that she paid rent on once a month.

"I can do this," she encouraged herself softly. She straightened her shoulders and marched throughout her home, gathering clothing for a decent work outfit, and mentally preparing herself for her uncertain future. Amongst the swirling cloud of despair and excitement, however, a more impending thought arose that had her dropping onto her bed in horror. She had just disappeared from work the previous night. She had been in the middle of counting stock when everything had gone wonky and she wound up standing in front of Lord Elrond, lost and confused. Did she even still have a job? Yeah, she was a manger, but that still do not excuse just up and leaving without any warning. _Oh God,_ she squeezed her eyes shut and frantically searched her mind for a solution. Should she call? Or just show up? Would Tommy understand or would he be furious? She remembered the one time some kid had dropped a rack of dishes and Tommy had laid into him before sending him packing. Was she walking to her doom?

Suddenly finding herself much less optimistic then she had been, she continued to get ready, deciding that she would just show up and apologize first thing.

With that decided she continued to get ready and left, dragging her feet as she did. By the time she had made it to work she felt utterly dejected. She had been forced to walk since her bike was still latched to the fence in the back and as she had made her way down the several blocks to Tommy's it had started to rain. If there was anything more cliché she dared someone to try and top it. She was distracted with memories when she walked through the front door, remembering all the good times she had experienced (and all the bad), thinking of all the friends she had made working at Tommy's. So distracted was she that she did not see Tommy himself, the man she had been working with the previous night, catch sight of her from behind the bar and frantically make his way over to her.

"Katy! Where have you been?" he cried. When he finally reached her he threw his arms around her shoulders, pulling her into an embrace that left Katy blinking in stunned surprise.

_What_?

"You just suddenly disappeared and your bike was still out back, the last anyone saw of you was when you were counting in back and I had left the door open and it was night and I know this isn't exactly the best part of town . . ."he continued to ramble. "I thought someone had kidnapped you and no matter how many times I called it never went through."

"Uhh, no, I wasn't kidnapped," Katy laughed hesitantly.

"Then what happened?" Tommy released her from his hold and looked her in the eye. She cringed, sensing that there was an anger growing behind the previous concern.

"My sister . . .she had a mental breakdown and called me, babbling like a crazy person," she fumbled about trying to piece together a good enough excuse. "I didn't know what to do she sounded like she was going to . . .you know. . .and when I finally got there she was just freaking over her new carpet. Emma spilt grape juice on it."

"Well, as long as everything is okay, I was worried." Tommy patted her shoulder, "But as punishment I'm making you close for Mike."

Katy deflated. She imagined Lord Elrond sitting at his desk long into the night fighting exhaustion and struggling through his paperwork. Tommy only smiled at her and returned to the bar where he pulled the current bartender to the side to lecture them on something that Katy really didn't care to learn about. It seemed like she was nothing but a disappointment these days. Oh well, at least she still had a job. But man was she a lying little brat, if she had to pull any more excuses out of her ass she was going to start hating herself, even more so than usual.

A lot went down that night. Since it was Friday of course business was booming and they were hard pressed to keep up with food orders after one of the cooks called out. Katy found herself behind the line and working in his place several times that night. She sliced her finger open enough to cause Tommy concern, feeling as if she should get stitches, but he couldn't spare her with how busy the place was. Katy didn't complain she was just happy that he hadn't fired her. While she worked she allowed her mind to wonder to Rivendell, kind of excited at the new adventure she could be discovering, but nonetheless daunted. She wondered what other kinds of creatures lived there, surely if there were elves, and apparently dwarves, than there were others as well. Would she eventually get to travel Middle Earth and see for herself?

She dropped a grouping of chicken wings into the fryer while she thought and jumped back when oil spit out arching towards her threateningly.

"I need a manager!" One of the servers cried. Her name was April, and the only thing Katy bothered remembering about her was that she was whiny, like just then for example.

Katy glanced up between the heat lamps and metal shelf, "What for?"

"The party at table twenty-one says their food was cold and this is the second time, they want to speak with a manager." April rubbed the back of her neck in frustration and watched Katy helplessly.

Katy sighed and wiped her hands on her apron before untying it and throwing it on the counter behind her. She moved around to the front of the kitchen, rubbing at her face and patting her hair down, before straightening her shirt and stepping out of the kitchen. She glanced about the busy restaurant, squinting through the low light that was a stark contrast to the fluorescent lit kitchen, and spotted the mentioned table. It was a group of five. All boys. They looked like snobby rich kids if she were to judge, she could expect dumb jokes and rude laughter, knowing what she was walking into allowed her to put on just the right kind of smile.

"Hey there guys, my name is Katy, I'm a manager here," she introduced, placing a hand on the back of two chairs occupied. "What can I do for you?"

"Our food came out cold twice, it's not even worth paying for it," one of the boys complained.

She would have taken him more seriously if he hadn't been wearing a shit eating grin and leaning back in his seat with an arm resting across the back of an empty chair. "I apologize; I will of course take care of it. Did you maybe want an appetizer while you wait for your original order to come out right?"

"Can we actually get it hot?" he asked.

"Of course, I will make it myself, what did you have in mind?" she responded just as quickly.

"Can we get the chili fries then?" one of the others piped up, he seemed a bit more kind and she automatically graced him with a pleasant smile.

"You can, I'll get you guys two orders, you all look like you could use some weight anyways," she joked.

They laughed, agreeing heartily, and the cocky one of the group smirked. She would punch him if it wouldn't cost her job. She patted the two she had stood behind on the shoulders before hurrying back to the kitchen to get their fries going and to comp their original order. She was going to kill April, the only reason their food was cold was because she was too busy flirting with the new bar tender to bring it out on time.

She returned to the line and tied her apron back on with a growl worthy of a jungle cat. Luckily they had finally gotten kitchen doors so she didn't have to worry about the guests hearing her.

She ran their food to the table personally, made sure everything was to their liking, before returning once more to the kitchen. On her way through the doors one of the bar tenders shouted for more lemons to be brought out from the cooler and she threw her arms up in frustration as the doors shut behind her.

"Am I the only one who does anything around here?" she shouted.

"Watch out!"

Katy jumped and turned around just in time to knock her head against an incoming dish rack. Instant karma, she realized. Her only reaction was to crouch where she stood, hands clutching her forehead, in hopes to avoid any further collision.

"I'm sorry Ma'am!" the young man who had accidentally bludgeoned her with the plastic rack dropped it to the ground and reached for her shoulders in concern.

"I'm fine, fine! Just get back to work; we don't have time for this." She pushed him away and stood on wobbly legs before puttering away to find some lemons in the cooler for the bar.

Needless to say that by the time she had kicked the last drunken guest out the front doors Katy was exhausted, and to think she still had another two hours of clean up. Despite her lack of energy, though, she found herself working tirelessly. She was too excited to return to Rivendell.

When she had sufficiently prepared everything for the next day she shed her sweater and work shoes, stowing them in her bag, and walked barefoot out back where she found her bike still wet from the rain. The wet asphalt felt strange against her bare toes and she wiggled them about, enjoying the weird sensation, and reminded of the days she ran about in the rain with little care as a child.

She unlocked the chain around her bike and pulled it over towards the backdoor and with little apprehension she threw the door open and pushed the contraption through. She had imagined the first room she had spoken to Elrond in, with its open windows and strange plants, not wanting to drag a muddy bike through his study, and was glad to find her efforts successful. She walked on the cold stone floor carefully and parked her bike next to the windows and well away from the doorway. Unsure of what to do next she wandered out into the hallway and made her way to Elrond's study.

She could tell it was late just by the dampness of the air and the rate at which the crickets chirped. The mansion like house was filled with a quiet hush that made her feel like a kid sneaking about for a late night snack.

She tried not to drag her feet, Elrond brought out the want to be respectful in her, as she was sure he did in everyone he met. He was being so kind to her and offering his home and resources to help her understand her situation and make her comfortable, how could she not show him respect?

She scampered across a hallway, hoping not to run into anybody. Anyelf? She shook her head and slid to a stop at his door. Resisting the urge to ruffle her hair and attempt to make herself seem more presentable she knocked.

"Enter," came the muffled response.

Katy pushed the door open and peeked around it, finding Elrond sitting at his desk as if he had never moved. He smiled upon seeing her and she smiled in return. Something about Elrond just made her feel like everything was right in the world. She felt like a kid again, asking for reassurance from her father. When she was little her Dad had been her hero, he could do anything, and she got the feeling that Elrond was used to having people view him in a similar manner. He was always quick to step up and take control of any situation, she knew, as he had done just that with her.

"Welcome back, Katelyn Jones, I was beginning to wonder if you had run away." Elrond watched as her face took on a horrified expression before cracking another smile. "All in good humor of course."

Katy relaxed and stepped into the room, shutting the door behind her and moving over to her usual chair, once she had finally sat down for the first time in hours she found herself fighting the urge to curl up and sleep. She dropped her bag to the floor and let out a heavy sigh.

"Sorry, I would have been back hours ago but I may have walked out in the middle of my shift last night and as punishment my boss had me close up shop," she explained tiredly.

"I see," he said. "That was quite reasonable of him."

"He thought someone kidnapped me," she said with a laugh.

"I'm sure you had quite the trouble explaining that one away," Elrond chuckled and stood from his desk. He gestured for her to follow him and she obliged tiredly, stooping to pick up her bag as he passed, and followed him to the door. "I took the liberty of setting you up with a room. Now I wish to begin your education as soon as possible but I see that you are far too tired to begin tonight. Are you busy tomorrow?" He spoke as they walked out into the hall. He had rested a hand on her shoulder at first but dropped it when she pointedly looked at the stained and dirtied shirt she wore.

"I am free tomorrow," she said with a laugh.

"Then we shall begin tomorrow," he nodded and stopped in front of a door in an unfamiliar hallway. "This will be your room," he opened the door and gestured the women inside.

The room had much the same layout as the one she had first stayed in but this one had its own washroom and wardrobe as well as a large desk. A red rug adorned the center of the floor and there was a fire place built into the far wall. She was glad to see that this room also had a large balcony.

"It's awesome," she exclaimed happily.

Elrond smiled. "You are welcome to come and go as you please, of course, but keep in mind that Mithrandir will be returning at some point and it would be convenient if you are easily found."

While Katy had moved further in the room to inspect her knew lodgings, Elrond had remained at the door respectfully, something that gave her great amusement. Now that she was becoming more comfortable with her situation she started to pay attention to the mannerisms and culture differences. In Rivendell, chivalry was NOT dead. The thought of Rivendell as a whole caused her to wonder if there were more to the world that she had blundered into. Surely Rivendell wasn't the only settlement out there? Were their other countries, seas, hidden treasures? Her eyes landed on a chest at the foot of the bed. Curiously she crouched down in front of the ornate box and lifted the lid. Beautifully detailed gowns were folded neatly within ranging in several pastel colors that complimented her red hair well. Someone must have picked them out especially for her and yet Lord Elrond and his sons had been the only Elves she had been in contact with. Come to think of it, he was _Lord_ Elrond. She turned, still crouching on the floor and looked over at the elf in question who was watching on kindly.

"Are you, like, the big guy in charge here?" she asked curiously.

"I have never quite heard it phrased in such, but yes, I am." Elrond nodded once.

"Oh," Katy stared at him dumbly. He must be extremely busy at all times and yet he had taken the time to personally give her a hand rather than passing her off to someone else. She glanced down at the ring on her finger, wondering if it had more to do with the important piece of jewelry, but then she decided that Elrond was just a kind person. In an attempt to cover up her long moment of thought she lifted one of the dresses from the chest and met his eyes once more, "I'm not going to wear these."

Elrond was silent, staring at her blankly, before chuckling. "I thought not, you seem to favor your pants more than the clothing of my kin."

Katy grinned, "Nothing beats a good pair of jeans."


	4. Chapter 4

When Elrond had left her to her own devices, Katy assumed that she would fall asleep and wake up the next morning ready to start a new life, what she didn't expect was to be tormented by thoughts homework assignments and oncoming bills. Even in another time all together she couldn't escape her worries. She laid in bed, having changed into a pair of pajamas she had stashed away in her bag, and stared out the windows. She was entranced by the way the curtains moved in the breeze and the sound of rustling leaves just below the balcony. She briefly thought of slipping back into her apartment just to catch up on some calculus but the idea felt more like a teenager sneaking out in the middle of the night. Elrond had given her permission to come and go as she pleased but she felt that she should be at her best behavior and remain in Rivendell for as long as she could. She could just download the notes and bring her laptop back with her.

Katy sat up and slid off the bed slowly, not wanting to break the peaceful silence of the night. She glanced about the room and her eyes landed on the door leading to the washroom before sliding over to the standing wardrobe in the far corner of her room.

"I will do it and no one will judge me for it," she spoke softly and scampered over to the wardrobe. She rested a hand against the wood, thought of her home, and pulled the small door open. Her view was of her own apartment but from a different angle than what she was used to. When she stepped forward and pulled the door shut she was standing inside her own closet. The ring around her finger grew warm and the feeling of amusement washed over her. With a soft chuckle she fumbled about her apartment, collecting things she felt she would need before returning to her room with a backpack stuffed to the brim.

It was Elrohir who came to retrieve her the next morning. He had knocked on her door, intent on showing her to the dining hall so that she could find a bit to eat before joining his father in his study, and was quite surprised with what he found.

"Come in!" Katy shouted from the balcony where she had pulled the rug, originally in the middle of her room, to the center of the balcony. She had several textbooks and a laptop spread out around her, a calculator and a pencil in hand, and a notebook resting on her knee. Beside her sat her beloved hookah, a coal burning merrily on top.

Elrohir stepped into the room glancing about curiously before moving out onto the balcony. "What is all this?" he asked.

"Homework," she stated simply with a shrug before turning back to her laptop.

"And this," he gestured to the hookah.

"Essentially?" she began, "It's a fancy pipe." In emphasis she lifted the hose that had previously been laying on the ground and inhaled deeply before letting out a billowing cloud of smoke.

"Not you too," he sighed.

Katy only laughed. Sunlight glistened of his hair and she was momentarily entranced by the image he struck against the morning rays before shaking her head and berating herself mentally. "What brings you to my humble abode oh princely one?" she asked cheekily.

"Breakfast," he answered simply. "But I see that you are already awake, how long have you been up?" His eyes continued to peruse her cluttered layout curiously as he spoke.

"I never went to bed," she responded absently, erasing a problem on her notebook as she did so. She chuckled when she looked up, finding him scouring her notes, and thought he was much like his father accept for his childish inquisitiveness.

"No?" he asked thoughtfully. He noted the dark purple smudges under her eyes and her rather revealing clothing that he assumed were her sleepwear.

"Nah, I had too much work to catch up on." She explained with a yawn. She wiggled her toes trying to get blood flow in them before setting her notebook aside and standing with a stretch. "Breakfast does sound good though," she agreed belatedly.

"Great," he smiled, "Though, do not take offense to this, but I think it would be wise to find a change of clothing." He grew a bit more serious and the sudden change of emotion coupled with the topic left Katy in a fit of giggles. She waved him off but agreed nonetheless and searched through her bag of things before pulling out a pair of jeans and an off white blouse that she had bought from the renaissance festival years back. While Elrohir waiting respectfully outside of her door she changed into the clean clothing and pulled on her pair of brown leather boots.

She was overcome with a momentary thought of how bizarre her life had become and took a second to look about her new room appreciatively. There seemed to be a clear defining wall between her two lives now, it was not physical, it was simply a mind set that she had automatically adopted to keep herself sane. She wondered what would have happened if she had ended somewhere else in Middle Earth, Elrond had figured that she had shown up in Rivendell because the ring was drawn to both Gandalf and himself, but what if she had stepped through a doorway in some place more . . .unsavory? She resisted the urge to shudder and settled with clenching her fists and letting out a shaky breath. She had not realized how incredibly precarious her situation had been.

She followed him cheerfully enough down the hall with her boots clacking against the stone satisfyingly. For the first time since she had first come to Rivendell she took in the scene outside the arches that acted as windows, admiring the gardens and elven folk that inhabited them. She smiled at the warm sunlight that filtered through the trees and threw comforting shadows across the hall they walked through.

"I wonder what changed . . ."she mumbled thoughtfully, her eyes captured by the peaceful beauty of Rivendell.

"Hmm?" Elrohir's ears seemed to twitch and he glanced down at her curiously.

"Why is there no magic in the world anymore?" she turned her gaze to him and came back to herself with a start.

"Are you insinuating that you are from the future and not another realm all together?" He asked. He lifted his brows in a gesture reminiscent of his father and gazed at her pensively.

"I'm not sure," she admitted hesitantly. She turned her eyes to the stonework at her side and rested a hand against the wall, "But now that I think about it, it feels right." The ring around her finger took on a soft glow and created a warmth within her. "Yes, I think that is right. The future is a bleak place and something happens in Middle Earth that makes it so. I must fix it . . ." she had started off speaking to Elrohir but as she continued in became evident that she was speaking to herself.

"My father should be informed of this," Elrohir said. He watched as Katy turned desperate eyes on him and he laughed, "But after breakfast of course!" He was glad to see her triumphant grin before once more leading the way to the dining hall.

They arrive when breakfast was still in full swing, Elves positioned randomly about the long benches set up within the large room. They all ate fruits and vegetables for the most part but Katy could smell fresh baked bread and cheese if her nose did not deceive her. Elrohir guided her over to one of the benches where his brother was already sat, surrounded by a few other elves, and guarding two plates of food that Katy realized must have been for her and Elrohir. Her companion waited until she was seated before following her example.

"I was wondering what was taking you two," Elladan pushed the plates towards them with an impish grin.

"Miss Jones had many interesting things set out in her room having to do with 'Homework' and I was distracted," Elrohir answered mischievously. He did not look his brother in the eye but rather focused on his own plate of fruit while he spoke. He pulled a knife from his belt and began cutting an apple with all the fluid grace of a practiced cook.

Katy said nothing, as she was busy filling her mouth with grapes, but she noted how Elladan instantly brought out the playful side of Elrohir. Of course they were twins so it would be odd if they weren't a little roguish every now and then. It was strange to imagine such graceful beings tricking one another, but she was almost certain they did.

"You two," she began when she had finished her mouthful, "Do you guys practice the art of pranking?" She watched as both their heads swiveled in her direction both wearing the same secretive smirk. Elladan leaned forward to speak but was interrupted.

"Do not get them started, My Lady," an elf who had been seated next to Elladan and across from her spoke up. Another who had been passing by let out a rather un-elf like snort.

The twins shared a delighted look, whether it was due to reaction to their obvious reputations or the prospect of dragging her into their shenanigans was unknown, before turning their full attention on Katy. She would be lying if she claimed not to be at least a bit intimidated by the combined force of their conniving smirks.

"That is a discussion best saved for another time," a commanding voice rolled over the small group who all turned to face the approaching figure. He was tall and just as imposing as Elrond but in a different manner, whereas; Elrond was a father figure, this elf gave off a more friendly air. He had long luxurious (Though Katy hated to use that word to describe hair feeling that it had been ruined by decades of shampoo commercials, she could think of no other appropriate word) golden hair that fell to his waist and fluttered about in his wake. His chest, shoulders, and arms were adorned in light leather armor and when he finally stopped at their table Katy could detect the faintest smell of animal. She assumed he had been out riding. Like all elves his face was well structured, with high cheekbones and a strong jaw, he practically oozed charisma. "Elrohir, Elladan, Aron," he greeted each elf with a curt nod before his eyes alighted on Katy and he smiled, "And you must be the infamous Kaitlyn Jones, I am Glorfindel." _And you must be Prince Charming, _Katy thought. She sat staring dumbly at the elf lord who bowed at the waist in response to her silence.

"Look what you have done, Glorfindel . Take your pleasantries somewhere else. We won't be having you woo her on our watch," Elladan gave a mock scowl to which the blond elf only laughed.

"My apologies, my friend, but Elrond sent word through me that you are to meet him in the library as soon as you are finished," Glorfindel responded lightly. He bowed to Katy, not as low as he had at first, and waved to the other elves before making his way out of the dining hall.

"Wow," Katy spoke up when he had gone, "No offense, but he's totally cuter than you guys."

"Offense taken," Elladan shot back. "My brother and I are much more attractive than Glorfindel."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Katy responded and stuck an orange wedge in her mouth, an impish twinkle in her eye. "Though he did kind of smell like horse but I wouldn't hold that against him," she added after she had finished the slice.

The twins both quirked a brow, "How can you tell he smells like horse? I could barely smell it on him." Elrohir spoke from beside Katy.

"I have an excellent nose," Katy bragged, "It has saved me numerous times from drinking spoiled milk."

"That's disgusting," Elladan chuckled.

"I agree," Katy responded. She propped her arm atop the table and rested her chin in her hand with a sigh immediately allowing her mind to traverse back to her childhood and all the dumb situations she used to get into with her siblings. "When should we go to meet Lord Elrond?" she asked after a moment of thought.

Aron, the elf who had originally been sitting next to Elladan, chose to leave at that moment sensing that whatever the three were about to discuss would be private. The twins bade him a farewell before returning back to the conversation at hand.

"As soon as you are finished," Elladan said pointedly glancing at her half eaten fruit.

"I'd rather just go now, I hate having people wait on me," she admitted. She was used to using exact times to schedule meetings with people but she guessed that it was a bit more difficult in Middle Earth where no one exactly had a watch on hand. The only clock she had seen was the one in Elrond's office.

"If you are sure," Elrohir sounded hesitant but Katy smiled and nodded.

The three traversed the halls to the library. She tried to memorize the exact path they took, hoping to learn her way about as quickly as possible. Elrond's study was easy for her to find as was her own room but other than that she was sorely limited in her knowledge of Rivendell. She rubbed at her eyes tiredly as they walked, feeling the oncoming exhaustion that appeared after every all-nighter. By the time they had reached the library she was wishing more for a cup of coffee than anything else in the world at that moment.

Elrond stood at a window overlooking a small field with a creek running through it. Next to him stood a large table covered in scrolls and leather bound books, several chairs surrounded it. The whole room housed numerous bookshelves standing proudly nearly overflowing with their books. Some shelves were packed more tightly than others. Another elf sat at the windowsill speaking quietly to the noble whose head was bent ever so slightly in his direction.

"I was hoping you would show soon," Elrond spoke over the other elf, turning with a stern expression that was directed more at the twins then Katelyn. The stern expression melted quickly, however, and he turned away from the window. The elf next to him stood and Katy admired his dark hair, the action of which she was finding redundant since all elves had amazing hair it seemed, and his large blue eyes. His cheekbones were a bit higher than Elrond's and his skin a touch darker. Despite the rather more dour set of his face he had a genuine smile and his previously admired eyes crinkled in just the right way.

"This is Erestor, he will be the one to teach you of middle Earth," Elrond began, he gestured to Katy as if to introduce her but she practically jumped forward.

"Katelyn Jones, at your service," she chirped and held out her hand.

Erestor smiled, ignoring the chuckling twins behind her, and bowed before her, "It is a pleasure."

Katy resisted the urge to roll her eyes and in a flash of confidence she grabbed his hand and shook it, causing the elf to give her a strange look before he once again smiled.

"Where I come from this is how we greet people, none of the bowing and theatrics." She returned his smile with her own and was glad to see Elrond smiling too out of the corner of her eye. "I will admit I was a bit star struck when I first arrived here in Rivendell but I'm from America, we're quite used to adapting and moving things along."

"Theatrics?" Elrohir chortled.

"Yes, all this bowing and politeness, it's not necessary. I like to get to know people for who they are right off the bat. No need to worry about offending me. I've heard it all." Katy laughed at the confused expressions the twins wore. How could she explain that she found their mannerisms tiring without insulting them?

"Spoken like a Dunedain," Erestor laughed.

"I try," Katy said, "Though I don't know what that is exactly, but if a Dunedain is anything like me than it must be awesome."

"What is this?" Elrond laughed. "You have lost the doe eyed confused air about you and replaced it with a confident trouble maker in one night. What did you two do to her?" He gave the twins an imploring look.

"Nothing! Maybe she is simply deprived of sleep. She did claim to have spent the night studying," Elrohir defended.

"They didn't do anything, I'm just impatient with the way things are going. I'm ready to learn and get shit done," she jumped in, than covered her mouth when the explicit word slipped out. "Sorry!" she chirped.

"Alright," Elrond paid her slip no attention and rested a hand on Erestor's shoulder, "Erestor will begin your lessons today if you will allow it. I am sure he is eager as well."

"Great!" Katy pulled a mechanical pencil from her back pocket. "Do you have any paper?"

"Well this is a change," Erestor admitted with a stunned expression. "Usually it is more of a struggle to get one of the young ones to come inside to learn."

Katy found she rather liked Erestor. He was smart. Not in a bookish I-have-all-the-facts-memorized-by-heart kind of way but in a worldly open minded kind of way that she found utterly refreshing. If she didn't know any better she could be sitting at the hookah bar talking to one of her more unique friends about the government or philosophy. He taught more like a college professor who had spent many a semester getting to know his students as oppose to meandering through the same lectures for the hundredth time. He was open to debate and discussion and was just as equally interested in her era as she was in his. The only topic they ever clashed on was magic and science. Katy lent more towards energy and the use of the brain as an explanation and he lent more towards the will of the greater beings that ruled over the world. Regardless of that, the two got along well.

Lord Elrond had taken the twins with him when he left and Katy had immediately made herself comfortable at the table. She had been provided with several sheets of what she assumed was parchment by Erestor who had remained standing by the window in thought.

"What do you know of Middle Earth so far?" he asked, glancing at her over his shoulder.

"It's in the Middle of Earth?" she responded and snorted at the dumbfounded expression that came over his face, "I honestly don't know anything, accept that this is Rivendell. And there are elves. And Apparently dwarves." She listed all that she knew and watched as Erestor smiled and turned to face her full on.

"You are right on all accounts." He pulled a chair out from the table and sat down. "You said that you attended a learning institution, did you not?" When she nodded he continued, "How do they organize subjects then?"

"Well, in high school you have several basic subjects: Math, Science, Language, History, Literature, Art, Music, Economics, Lunch-," she had been counting off on her fingers when Erestor interrupted her.

"Lunch?" he quirked a brow and laughed.

"Lunch was the best part of the day," she defended.

"Right," he sighed, "We will follow the same basic pattern though I am sure we will not need math and science in these lessons."

"Good Lord, I have been waiting to hear those words all my life," she exclaimed. She had always been horrible at math and the only science she had ever been interested in was Earth and Space science. Erestor was the equivalent of her savior at that moment.

He started with history. He told her all that she could handle in one sitting and while she dutifully took notes and questioned him to keep them both on topic, she began to realize just how much she was in for. This was a couple thousand years worth of history on a time period that was not even thought to exist in her era. She might as well have been learning about an alien planet. But she found herself intrigued because of that thought and it pushed her forward. This was not your average college class where a professor graded you on essays and performance so you could one day walk off stage with a piece of paper claiming you were smart. This was a necessity that she would require for survival, though she did not quite know it yet, she still had a vague notion of it.

Their lessons had been going smoothly until he rambled off a string of complicated names and factoids about elven lineage that left her head spinning and she had cried, "Speak English!" to which he had given her a very strange look and responded "What language is English?"

"What do you mean 'What language is English?' it's the one were speaking," she exclaimed in amusement.

"We have been speaking the common tongue, Westron." Realizing that this was going to be a lengthy and emotional discussion, Erestor sat down in front of her where he had previously been standing.

"Maybe it's the same language?" she shrugged and watched him curiously.

"I do not think so, I have noticed that some words you say do not quite make sense to me. Try concentrating and say something in your own language." He steepled his fingers in a manner similar to Elrond and watched her carefully.

Katy shrugged and concentrated on her words carefully before saying, "I could really use a cup of coffee."

"Interesting," Erestor commented. "Can you still understand me?"

"You just used a funny accent," she deadpanned. "It kind of sounded British."

Erestor's eyes widened, "I was speaking Sindarin and you responded in the same tongue."

"What?" she stared out him with a dumbfounded expression, "I did not, stop joking."

"I am not joking," he answered simply.

Katy stood. She felt a strange sense of panic welling up from the pit of her stomach. The ring was changing her and she hadn't even known it. What else was different? What was the extent that it would go to? She had been speaking a different language the entire time and hadn't even noticed. Would she grow a second head next? Okay, that one may have been an exaggeration but she found herself utterly perplexed and in need of a drink. She rubbed at her forward agitatedly.

"I think we should take a break for today," Erestor suggested.

She only nodded and left the library for more comforting surroundings. When she stepped through the door she was once more in her own apartment.

She spent the rest of the day in front of her TV, not using her brain, and focusing on nothing in particular. She would check her phone occasionally and eventually engaged in conversation with a few of her friends but did not make much effort other than that. She was determined to put Rivendell and all of Middle Earth out of her mind. She watched several episodes of FRIENDS before moving to the kitchen where she rummaged around looking for something to eat. She settled on Macaroni and Cheese. While the water boiled on the stove she texted Cassie. Not the best idea considering Cassie was the kind of girl who always wanted to be out on the town. She was bullied into going out to a bar that night and found she couldn't really deny that it suited her needs. She had wanted a drink after all.

Katy sighed and let her eyes roam over her studio apartment, noting the darkening sky through her window, and set her hands on her hips. She would not allow herself to panic over something so petty as being changed by a magic ring that she knew in her heart, somehow, was good. People would kill to be in her situation. To escape the mundane. She shook her head, threw her arms in the air, and jumped to it. Getting ready that is. Because there was no way she was missing out on a chance to party for what may be the last time for a very long while.

She stood at her closet door, eyeing the contents, before settling on a short white dress with black polka dots. She pulled it on and pawed at a wrinkle. Her hair was freshly curled and she put on a light layer of make-up, glad to find that her skin seemed to be improving in color these days, before finishing with a pair of gold hoop earrings.

Once she decided she was sufficiently ready she took one last look around her apartment, making sure all was in its disorganized place, before stepping out the front door and locking it behind her. She skipped down the steps just as a black Prius pulled up to the building.

"Get in loser, we're going clubbing," Cassie called through the open window.

"I'm coming, hold your horses," she laughed as she slid into the front seat.

They drove to a nearby bar. Nothing too fancy. It had low lights and a long bar that covered all of one wall and a nice little stage set up with a live band playing. Katy was happy to hear they were playing more Flogging Molly kind of music than anything else. Cassie sat next to her at the bar of course and the seat to her left was empty.

"So where have you been the past couple of days, I haven't heard anything from you," Cassie questioned her when they had both received their first drinks. They both sipped at them before continuing the conversation.

"I've had a lot of homework," she shouted over the music with a shrug, "Been trying to be responsible this semester."

"That's what you say every semester," Cassie shot back with a laugh. "At least it seems like your following through with it this year."

"I know, right," Katy laughed. "I actually got a tutor or two so I can stay on track."

"Really?" Cassie turned to face her, suddenly interested. "Are they cute?" She leaned forward, eyeing her suspiciously, as if she had gone behind her back and delved into the world of male prostitutes without inviting her.

"They're attractive in an untouchable kind of way," Katy said reverently. She thought of all the elves she had met with their well structured faces, beautiful eyes, and awe inspiring hair. She imagined they would disapprove of her going out clubbing in clothing shorter than what they probably wore to bed. Oh well, she thought, to each their own

"I need names!" Cassie exclaimed causing her friend to laugh and push her away.

"Elrond and Erestor," she relented after a few moments of constant badgering.

"Elrond?" Cassie wrinkled her nose, "Is he a Lord of The Rings nerd or something?"

"What?" Katy laughed. "Isn't that the movie about dwarves?" She was imagining a bunch of nerds dressed in baggy clothing with wooden swords and found herself laughing.

"No!" Cassie admonished, "It's about a bunch of people. There are hobbits, and dwarves, and elves, and even a few really cute dudes . . . you know, with the whole evil ring and the monsters. There's a wizard too, he always reminded me of Dumbledore . . ."

Oh.

Katy tuned her out, finding her mind making the connections without conscious effort. She stared at Cassie, lost in realization, before she finished her drink in one swig and stood. "I have to go," Katy muttered.

"Wait, what? We just got here!" Cassie pouted, annoyed at her friends sudden change of mood. She grabbed her arm and pulled her back to her seat but Katy resisted and brushed her arm off, too caught up in the emotional roller coaster of the day. Cassie jerked back, knocking into the girl behind her.

"What the fuck?" the girl snapped. She stared at her white top that was now covered in her gin and coke. Pissed off beyond reason the girl turned on Cassie, rambling so fast that neither of the two could understand what she was saying only that she was obviously very angry and threatening mortal harm. Katy was mesmerized by the length of her nails that she waved about like a set of knives.

"Hey, calm down, it was an accident," Cassie lifted her arms in surrender. She was not the type to get into physical fights and if she did somehow end up in a situation requiring it the most she was good for was holding the earrings, so to speak.

"Like hell it was," the girl barked and grabbed Cassie's arm with more force than necessary.

"Hey, it was an accident. I'm sure you can replace your cheap ass Walmart shirt any time," Katy snapped back. She pushed the girl away from her friend. "Here," she took out a ten dollar bill from her small black purse and tossed it at her.

The bar tender, who had previously been speaking to a couple further down the bar, looked on with an expression of panic. Two dudes fighting was easy enough to deal with, you could break them up quickly and with force if necessary, but women tended to get more volatile and it was generally frowned upon getting rough with them. Looking back on it, Katy really felt for the guy, he had just been doing his job that night and ended up getting pulled into a bloody mess.

"You did not just do that!" The girl yelled.

"I can't believe you did that," Cassie laughed.

"Yeah well, she was a royal bitch, ow!"

"Shut up, I almost got it."

"Ow!"

"I think it's going to be a while before you can re-pierce your ear," Cassie mumbled dejectedly.

Katy turned in her bathroom to look at her bloody ear and swollen eye. The damage could have been worse, she decided, but she still regretted her words. She had wanted to suck them back in the second she had spoken them, but the damage had been done, and she had earned herself a wild punch in the face and clawing that resulted in the loss of her earring the bloodiest way possible. She had also been banned from that specific bar, though she knew the owner personally so she could probably weasel her way back in in a month or so.

"Don't ever let me wear hoops to a bar again," Katy advised darkly.

Cassie laughed, "You got it."

When Cassie had left she had turned to her TV with a determined air. It was time for her to do some serious recon.

Katy returned to her room in Rivendell that night with her tail between her legs. She brought her own blanket over and curled up in her bed, smelling the familiar scents of her home, and let out a deep sigh. At least she had time to recover before she had to go to work the next day . She groaned and buried deeper into her nest wishing she could leave all her problems behind. If only. To top it all off, she now had the sneaking suspicion that all was not as it seemed in the past or the future. Someone had pulled some strings somewhere, she was sure of it, but it all went over her head. She had about as much control over her situation as a bird over a tornado let alone if she started snooping about trying to figure out what was going on. She had stayed up well into the night delving into the world of Lord of The Rings but had not dared to delve into The Hobbit because it was already far too late. She had watched the movies, chewing on her nails, and fighting the urge. She could not handle any more emotional shit storms that night.

"What in the world happened to you?" Elrohir questioned the next morning at breakfast. When Katy had trudged into the dining hall that morning and plopped herself down next to him in her usual spot he had nearly choked on the porridge he had been eating. He had taken her chin in his hand and lifted her face to get a good look at her bruised and swollen eye.

"I got into a bar fight," she deadpanned, too exhausted to feel any real emotion towards the previous night's events. She had learned much of Middle Earth through the movies and now she was weighed down with knowledge of the past and she found herself struggling not to slam her hands on the table and tell the two all that she knew. Under the table her leg was jittering. So she settled on playing her stress off on the bar fight.

"When I find the man that did this, ugh, they disgust me," Elladan snarled from the other side of the table, surprising Katy with his ferocity. She had never even known an elf to show anger before. She could not deny that she was touched by his anger and that a part of her was calmed by his reassured friendship.

"Actually, it was a girl," she corrected him quietly.

They stared at her in stunned surprise before Elrohir let out a quiet snort that had his brother confused, finding that he could not fight it any longer Elrohir laughed. Katy broke out into a fit of laughter as well, finding his own too infectious to ignore, glad to have a way to release the building tension in her chest. "Only Katelyn Jones," Elrohir managed to say between his laughter. "Tell me, what caused such violence?"

"I insulted her cheap ass clothing and she punched me for it," Katy explained with a mischievous smirk.

"We will have to hide this," Elrohir added, glancing at his brother. "Father will have a fit."

"I have something that will cover it, but it's back at my place." She admitted.

"We will assist," Elladan stated stiffly and stood, obviously still put off by the situation.

Katy hesitated. This was obviously a bad idea. Trying to hide something like a black eye from Elrond was dumb and would no doubt land her in more trouble and probably a lengthy lecture. But the prospect of bringing the twins with her to her home was undeniably tempting. To shatter the barrier between the two realities that her mind had formed would be so satisfying and in a strange way calming. She felt as if it would destroy whatever lingering ominous cloud that had been hanging over her since she had watched the movies and discovered the impending war. Her heart fluttered at just the thought of it and a hundreds of questions swelled forth in her mind like a powerful wave.

"What the hell? Why not?"

They hurried away, the twins leading her between them and pulling her to the side to pretend they were in deep conversation whenever somebody passed them, conveniently blocking their view of her face. She found she was quite enjoying the tension and excitement of sneaking through Rivendell hiding an injury.

When they reached her room she had made her way over to the wardrobe (her preferred method of transportation) and opened the door to her apartment with little hesitation. The twins shared a look before following her.

It was the strangest situation imaginable.

Katy had immediately gone to her bathroom to apply mountains of makeup but the twins had amused themselves by perusing the entirety of her apartment from top to bottom. She kept hearing them question every object within her home, "What is this thing?" "Why is this making such a noise?" "What does she use these for?" "What kind of clothing is this, it hardly covers anything" "Look, there are people down there!" "Look at what they are wearing." "What is that monstrosity that man just climbed into" etc. She found herself too amused and wandered out into the room laughing. The two stood together at her window, hands clasped behind their backs, observing the happenings of her apartment complex as if they were admiring the weather yet their curious and excited tones contradicted their physical composure.

She smiled at their backs, elated that they were enjoying themselves and not at all judging her or the people of her time in a harsh manner.

"There, there, young ones, the world will all be explained shortly," she had moved to stand behind them and patted their heads playfully.

"How? There is too much, I feel overwhelmed, how do you stand it?" Elladan turned to her with an intense and sympathetic look. Elrohir remained at the window, excitedly watching her neighbor walk her dog in nothing but a bathrobe. He had leaned forward and pulled the window open to stick his head out.

"Well, your home is more like a vacation to me, but here, I can show you."

Katy did not have to meet up with Erestor until lunch so she had a handful of hours to dedicate in the educating of the modern world to the twins. She sat them down in front of her television and put a movie inter the DVD player.

"This is called a Television; we watch the world on it. We learn stories and teachings from it." She explained as she worked. "And this is called E.T., the best movie of all time."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: This chapter is longer due to the huge shift that occurs at this point in the story. I hope that you can understand why I have been layering so much detail into the story about Katy's life after this chapter. Please review so that I can further improve! :) I would love to know your thoughts on detail, flow, and over all impact the story has on you. **

Katy still got lectured. If you count the silent treatment as a lecture, which it was to Katy, who was used to getting ripped a new one on a daily bases and could pretty much deflect anything you threw at her. She had been summoned to Elrond's study where she was offered a seat and was simply ignored from that point on. At first she had just assumed that he had a few important things to read over and thus would give her his undivided attention in a few minutes, but when those few minutes turned into fifteen, then thirty, then forty-five she began to catch on to what was happening.

The realization hit her so suddenly that a soft "Oh" escaped and her face turned scarlet. Of course. She had been trying to be on her best behavior since she had first arrived in Rivendell but she had without a doubt slipped up. In all honesty though it had been bound to happen, she was a screw up after all, and quite openly admitted it to any who asked. All it took was one thoughtless statement to land her in a load of trouble and the worst part about it was that Cassie would never know. Had she been able to Katy would have whined to her and demand payment in food, or some other commodity that a poor college student would relish in, for taking the impending punch for her.

Suddenly the silence seemed much more intimidating. There was a harsh intent behind it now and Katy realized that she had been playing the fool the entire time, patiently waiting for nothing. She sighed.

Elrond glanced up at her with a small smile, though Katy did not notice because she was looking at her boots, and pushed a sheaf of papers aside.

"I trust it won't happen again," he stated in a dry tone.

Katy looked up, shamefaced, and gave a hesitant smile.

"At least I do not have to instruct you on what you did and why it was wrong, I will not look a gift horse in the mouth." He smiled again, this time for her to see, and lifted a brow, "Now I believe you should get some rest, it was a long day for you no doubt." He examined her poorly hidden black eye with scrunched brows.

"Truer words have never been spoken," she admitted with a tired sigh. She pushed herself up from the stiff chair and stretched, hearing her spine crack in several different locations, before lifting her work bag from the ground. "Just out of curiosity," she began hesitantly, turning back to face the elf, "Do you know when Gandalf will be back?"

Elrond sighed, "That I cannot tell you, he could be back within the week or many months from now. Unfortunately the information he searches for is very difficult to come by."

"Kind of makes you wish he could just google it," she muttered.

Over the next three months Katelyn Jones was no more. In her place was a frantic workaholic that struggled between her job, classes, and learning about Middle Earth. She was constantly running back and forth between the future and the past, stepping through doors without a second thought and somehow winding up where she needed to be. She was queen of showing up out of nowhere. She popped into work through closets and freezer doors. She showed up at her mother's house from her old bedroom, scaring Judy out of her mind and sending the dog barking in a fit. She slid into Cassie's house for her Birthday party with presents in hand and a haggard smile to boot. By the end of every day she would sit down with Erestor in the library and absorb as much information as she could, taking notes without being told to do so, and finding herself entranced by the stories he told. The past few weeks he had slowly begun to shorten their meetings, not enough for an exhausted Katy to tell, so that she simply thought their lessons flew by. She never really bothered to check the time when she was in Rivendell. She often caught her teacher giving her pitying looks and sending her away with a laugh followed by a sigh. It was concerning but not enough to push her to action.

On her days off from both work and school, rare they may be, she often went gallivanting off with the twins. They were excited to show her their world and would drag her throughout all of Rivendell showing her interesting artifacts and buildings. They even got her up on a horse, though she resisted the whole way, and went for evening rides with her. She had to admit, if it weren't for the crippling exhaustion, Katy would be having the time of her life. She had slid into Rivendell society so seamlessly that Erestor often called her a charmer. She could get whatever she wanted from anyone if she gave them just the right smile or just the right amount of honesty. He suspected this had more to do with the ring than her natural allure. Yet she found all the elves of Rivendell to be, if not wonderfully kind, than at least splendidly civil towards her. Sometimes it irritated her. She sorely missed the hustle and bustle of the restaurant when she was amongst the elves, where they were polite and well mannered, her coworkers were sharp tongued and crude. Just the way she liked it. She was used to having fun and getting a little crazy at work and in general the future but she found herself being on her best behavior in the past. She thought it quite odd.

As time passed, however, what little fun she had managed to squeeze in was squashed into nonexistence by the ever looming darkness known as final exams. When she had explained her situation to Erestor he had agreed that it would be best for them to meet much less over the next few weeks until she finished her exams. He was very supportive of her educational choices and was honestly impressed by her work ethic.

No matter where Katy was during those few weeks, she was studying. She brought her books to the table whenever she ate and tuned out the chatter of the elves around her. When she was in her room she would sit on her balcony in the same manner she had her second night in Rivendell. Though on one occasion Elladan had come looking for her and found her in a pair of shorts and a tank top. His face had turned such an intense shade of red that Katy had feared he had fallen asleep in the sun somewhere and was suffering from sun poisoning. "I am sorry, I should have knocked, I do not know what I was thinking!" he had rambled before slamming the door shut. Katy had snorted and returned to her Humanities study guide, too deep into the world of ancient Grecian culture to care about Elladan's embarrassment.

A week before her finals she was summoned to Elrond's study. Out of all the usual elves she found herself in the company of, Elrond was the one she had seen the least since she entered exam mode, and she was pleasantly excited to see him for the first time in a week. She had pulled a sweater on over her tank top, mindful of her past experience with Elladan, and trotted through the halls barefoot. Had it been during the day she would have put some more effort in to seem presentable, but it was nearing ten o'clock at night, and the thought of pulling on a pair of shoes and mussing with her hair disgusted her. She reached his door and gave a gentle knock.

"Enter."

_He sounds stressed,_ she thought. She hesitantly opened the door, peeking around it to take in the study, finding it much the same as the last time she had been there except for the familiar figure sitting by the fire. Still clothed in the same gray robes and hat, Gandalf glanced up at her with a tired smile. She could sympathize with that smile.

"Gandalf," she greeted with a grin. "I was starting to wonder what was taking you so long."

"I visited many libraries and catacombs, hoping to find something about that ring of yours," he pulled on the pipe in his hand. Katy glanced at Elrond curiously, surprised that he was allowing the wizard to smoke in his study, only to find him watching her just as curiously.

"What did you find?" she asked quietly, almost a whisper. She sensed that the two had already spoken somewhat on the topic.

"Nothing," he stated simply, "at first."

Katy moved over to the high backed chair next to Gandalf and sat down, feeling every wakeful hour she had spent working and studying over the past few months. She was too tired to yawn and settled with staring into the fire absently while she listened to the wizard speak.

"As you may know, there are several magic rings in Middle Earth, so many that I have long since lost count. The one who made them was an elf named Celembrimbor and while there were some that had a darker purpose, unbeknownst to him, your little trinket seemed to have rolled away just in time. You see, there was a Dark Lord who wished to rule all of middle Earth through suffering and fear. He worked to trap all of the free people under his spell. His plan was to use the rings of which nine went to men, seven to dwarves, and three to the elves. While everyone marveled over their gifts the Dark Lord created one more ring, filled with his own wickedness, to rule over all of them." Gandalf periodically drew from his pipe as he spoke and Katy found herself lulled into a sleepy haze, picturing everything in her mind in a detached manner. "Celembrimbor caught onto Sauron's plan, however, and made that ring as a last attempt to set right what had been done."

Katy lifted her hand from the armrest and stared at the silver banned which glowed almost happily in the dim light. Gandalf too, was staring at it almost sightlessly, chewing on his pipe. What exactly did she have resting on her finger? Was this the hope of some long past suffering? She had seen the war in the movies, watched as it came to a close, so why would she need to come back and fix things? Everything that occurred within the stories happened exactly as it should have.

"What are you thinking, Gandalf?" Elrond's voice was right next to Katy causing her to jump. With a pounding heart she rubbed at her eyes and turned her gaze to the wizard who was looking between them both.

"That ring is a sign of much darker times to come, I fear," he admitted darkly. "That is the ring of time. It was hidden away for someone to find long after we are gone to correct what we could not. She has come to us now, unknowing of the era she found herself, just as darkness rears its head."

"What darkness, Gandalf? There has been peace for a long time now. What could possibly be threatening us now?" Elrond questioned. There was frustration evident in his voice.

"Peace my friend," Gandalf placated the elf lord, "think of it merely as an old man being paranoid if that will bring your mind to rest."

Elrond let out a sigh through his nose and looked down at the girl sitting in the chair in front of him, he had gripped a hand on the back of her chair in anger, and he loosened his hold upon realizing it. Katy had returned her gaze to the fire.

"What do you think I should do?" she asked belatedly, after there had been silence for a good few minutes. The fire popped and a log fell over, sending embers spiraling in the air.

"I think you should learn all that you can, such power in the hands of someone ignorant is a dangerous thing." Gandalf drew from his pipe again and watched her from the corner of his eye. "If I were you, I would devote all my time to becoming a part of Middle Earth."

Katy remained silent, chewing on a nail unknowingly, and allowed herself to think over his answer carefully before responding. "Are you asking me to give up my life there?"

"In a manner of speaking," he admitted, "but I would not phrase it so harshly."

"Three more years," she stated. The two gave her questioning looks and she looked them both in the eye before continuing. "Three more years and I will have my bachelors' in Business management and I can open my own restaurant so my mom will finally get off my back about making something of myself and everyone will stop looking down on me. I finally had my own place and a car, before I wrecked it mind you, and I was actually taking charge of my life for a change and you want me to give that all up so you can keep an eye on me?" She stood and moved away from the fire and towards the window, moonlight bathing her figure in a soft glow. "I refuse."

"I understand your reluctance, but there is no telling what that ring may do to you, it was not made like the others nor was it, I think, meant for a human." Gandalf pushed himself from his chair to face her figure, for the moon silhouetted her in such a way that her features were hidden from the human eye and her shadow appeared harsh and foreboding.

"Then take it," she lifted her hand and tried to slide the ring off her finger, but no matter how she twisted and pulled, it would not budge.

"I cannot, it has chosen you, I would not even if I could," Gandalf spoke quietly. He glanced at Elrond out of the corner of his eye.

Taking the hint, Elrond stepped forward and placed a hand on Katy's shoulder. "Do not worry, we will not force you to do anything you do not wish to. Take time to think over Gandalf's request." The elf shot the wizard a silencing look for he had opened his mouth to object against both the elf's soft heartedness and the accusation that it was his idea alone. But upon analyzing it from a logical prospective he realized Elrond had made a very politically sound move and removed himself from the conflict. This would work in their favor later as Elrond could offer his unbiased thoughts on the matter without causing her anger.

Katy rubbed at her face in frustration, "I can't deal with this right now. Finals are in a week . . .ugh." She inclined her head towards Elrond in a hurried bow before throwing a wave in Gandalf's direction. "I'll sleep on it. Two weeks from now," she muttered.

She resisted the urge to slam the door and instead chose to slip into her time, popping into her apartment before letting out a frustrated groan.

"That could have gone worse," Gandalf commented dryly.

Elrond lifted a brow and dropped into the chair at his desk, "I feel that you have great tact when it comes to dealing with lords and kings but very little when it comes to convincing a young woman to leave behind all that she has known."

"You may be right," Gandalf admitted.

"Regardless, I feel that her trust is more important than my ability to keep an eye on her. She is too busy to get into any trouble. You saw how exhausted she is. That was not the look of someone who has simply done a hard day's work. That is the result of months without proper rest. She will get sick at this rate and I hardly doubt adding this to her plate will help any of us." Elrond waved his hand in the air and pushed himself out of the chair, moving over to the window like Katy had done earlier, clearly restless and frustrated with the situation.

"You sound like a doting parent," Gandalf chuckled. "Has she already wormed her way into your heart, Elrond?"

"She is quite good at charming her way into _many_ things," he answered cryptically, "My heart chief among them. But I fear for her. She may not notice it yet but that ring is changing her. I see it in her eyes."

"Do not fret. That ring was made with nothing but the strongest of hopes and pure intention. I highly doubt even the darkest of deeds could taint it. Whatever it has in store for her I am sure no harm will come because of it. At least, not directly." Gandalf tapped his pipe into the fire, watching the ash tumble into the flames thoughtlessly.

Elrond turned to gaze at him but said nothing in return.

Though Katy had said she would think over Gandalf's suggestion after finals, she did not. As soon as she had finished her last test, confident in her results, she had scampered away to enjoy a night out on the town. She and Cassie hit a few bars on the other side of the city before calling it a night. Feeling sufficiently intoxicated, just enough to be tipsy, she had slipped into her room back in Rivendell and the thought of giving up her life to devote herself to Middle Earth had all but left her mind. So much so, that the next day she spent signing up for classes in the summer.

Her reign as Queen of Popping-up-out-of-nowhere was upheld with a stern vigilance. While her schedule never did truly become less hectic she did adapt and grow with it. She spent the next three years running around like a mad woman and she began to grow rather fond of the lifestyle. The idea of taking a day off appalled her. She had so much to do! She continued her lessons with Erestor and her adventures with the twins and Glorfindel had become a more prominent figure in her life after he offered to teach her how to use weapons. While Erestor was kind and gentle Glorfindel was sharp tongued and energetic. She found herself drawn more towards him purely because of his personality. Every day she learned more and more about Middle Earth, its history, its cultures, and countries. She learned about creatures she had never heard of and ones she had only ever known in legend. She learned about their art, their languages, and even picked up on common skills needed to survive in the day and age. She found that her brain was taking in so much information that she had unknowingly began deleting things she would deem rudimentary like for example: she at one point found herself at an ATM and was lost for a good two minutes while she tried to recall her pin number, she had forgotten her sister's birthday, she could not recall how old Emma was, or any of her high school teachers. It was the little things that you would not always need to recall but when she tried she found herself drawing up blanks.

She had nearly missed the annual family Christmas party.

Katy had been perched on a stone railing out in the gardens, enjoying a peaceful moment for a change, when she had let out a deep sigh. She perked up when she saw her breath spiral up into the air. Winter was fast approaching, it would start snowing soon, her mind had wondered to the holidays then. With a start, she had jumped off of her perch and found the nearest door to slip through into her apartment just in time to pull on the dress she had picked out for the occasion. While she raced to put on her make up she realized belatedly that the gifts she had bought and wrapped for everybody was in her Rivendell room. She had jumped back to Rivendell just as Erestor had entered her quarters looking for her.

"I'm sorry, Erestor, I forgot today was the Christmas Eve party, I can't do lessons today," she had rambled. She stacked the boxed gifts on her bed as she spoke, pulling the presents from her wardrobe and chest.

"I understand, Katelyn, there is no need to worry about it," Erestor said. He watched her scamper about the room with amusement.

"I can't believe I forgot, how could I forget?" She continued to mutter. "Will you help me? I can't get these all downstairs by myself." She asked even as she was moving the gifts to the door. Some of them were quite large and heavy. She had had a bit more money to splurge with this year since she had canceled her cable and hadn't been using the air conditioning in her own apartment. Her bills had never been lower.

"Downstairs?" Erestor questioned.

"Yes." She opened the door into her apartment, sliding the gifts over stone and onto the hardwood flooring of her home.

"I do not see why not," he mumbled before lifting a stack of the boxes and following. He stepped over the threshold into her time as if he were carefully traversing a minefield. His pupils delighted against the artificial lighting of her apartment and he took in the hardwood flooring, white kitchen cabinets, and the technology of which he knew very little about. He had never felt so lost and out of place and he found himself cultivating a new sense of sympathy for the woman who had worked her way into the community of Rivendell. He did his best to ignore her revealing dress and instead dropped his stack of gifts at her front door where she had placed the others.

"I called for a taxi, he should be here any minute," she chattered away while putting on a pair of earrings. She moved over towards the front door, opened it, and glanced about wearily before pulling her head back. "We're in the clear, let's move," she whispered.

"Yes my Lady," he responded with a bemused chuckle.

If you have ever seen an out of time elf, which I am sure you have not, it is quite the sight to behold. He was his usual self: same posture, walk, and speech. But because of his confident air he came off as being even more of an otherworldly being. No one held themselves up like they did back in those days and even when they had, the elves had always seemed more regal. So to see Erestor dutifully assisting the woman dressed in an elegant off white dress who was struggling under the weight of presents in a pair of high heels, well, it just made your heart melt. Katelyn carefully helped him to set the stack down once he had reached the landing. She glanced about one last time before ushering him back upstairs and into her apartment.

"Thank you so much," she rushed. She pushed him towards her pantry door where they had previously exited, and gave him the equivalent of a bear hug before closing the door behind him.

Erestor stood on the other side of the door with a bewildered expression and a lock of hair out of place. His cheeks were certainly not a delicate shade of pink. He straightened his robes, cleared his throat, and quickly exited her room.

Katy sat in the backseat of a taxi frantically responding to text messages regarding her absence from the party which had started an hour ago. So distraught was she that when the taxi actually pulled up to her mother's house she was already half way out of the car before it had even come to a complete stop. The cab driver popped the trunk for her and helped her unload the gifts. She paid him, leaving a large tip, and lifted as many of the presents as she could before wobbling to the front door which was thrown open even before she could ring the bell. An assortment of adults and children poured out and onto the sidewalk to collect the rest of her haul.

"What took you so long?"

Katy set the gifts down under the tree and turned to face her mother with a sigh. Obviously she couldn't tell her that she had forgotten, and the idea of telling the truth was frightening, her mother would finally lock her in an asylum for sure. She smiled and let out a laugh, "I forgot to wrap the presents."

"Of course,"' Judy snorted in good humor. She grabbed Katy's elbow and pulled her over towards the dining room table. "We were just about to start, lucky you got here in time, I'm not so sure there would have been left overs with these three starting to sprout the way they are." Judy gestured to the three children already sitting at the table, excited for food.

"Katy Kat, sit with me," Emma called from across the long table. She patted the chair next to her excitedly.

"Alright, alright," Katy laughed and obediently sat next to her niece. The girl was eight years old now and taller than Katy would have ever thought possible, yet she was still the same sweet and equally mischievous little girl that Katy remembered.

"Of course you would be late," Danny laughed from the seat across from her. He was ten now and just beginning to lose his baby fat.

Katy stuck her tongue out at him.

"Really?" her sister lifted a brow from where she sat next to her oldest.

"Yes, really, he's a bigger turd than ever," she shot back.

"Hey!" Danny cried.

Katy just stuck her tongue out at him again causing Emma to laugh.

"Kaitlyn Elizabeth Jones," Judy snapped.

Judy was all the way in the kitchen so Katy had no idea how she knew what was going on but the use of her full name had her pulling her tongue back in her mouth quicker than a snake. Emma snickered quietly and Katy could not keep the grin off her face. Rivendell was amazing, but there was nothing like spending time with her family, even when she was getting into trouble. Despite their differences they always managed to get together for the holidays, even the step family was invited, since Judy herself had a big heart and just loved to have her house filled with guests.

Katy's brother, Aaron, sat down next to her with his six year old in tow. The years were not kind to him, she noted, he was already starting to show signs of aging. She couldn't quite place what exactly about him seemed old or tired but whatever it was radiated off of him. She turned her gaze unto the woman sitting on the other side of their six year old son, Eric, and scowled. She bet it was that woman. She was a mean little thing.

Katy's thoughts were distracted by the food that was placed in front of her and she quickly found herself conversing with the whole family. It was a rambunctious meal to say the least, filled with lots of laughter and reminiscing. There were a few insults thrown about, of course, but all in good humor.

The year's party went much the same as the last three, Katy was left to the do the dishes, and everybody waited on her. As soon as she had dried the last pot and put everything away she sprung into the living room and joined the three children on the floor, her heels had long since been thrown off, to open one present each. A tradition Katy suspected that would last a long time. Funny that they only did it for the first time three years ago because Emma and Danny would not quit whining about presents . . . And Judy had caved.

Katy took a second to look around at her family and let out a sigh, glad that she had remembered in time. She wondered if she could have just gone back with the ring, she had been jumping back and forth through the ages, couldn't she just pop up whenever she wanted? The thought made her glance down at the ring thoughtfully but upon thinking about it, she realized she wouldn't want to, knowing it would only make her feel more alienated and removed from her family.

Emma crawled into her lap just then, giggling when Katy grunted under her weight, and pulled her arms around her. Someone had turned on the television and Rudolph was playing the background while they all talked. Everyone had a good Christmas that year, there were bunches of presents to go around, and the mood was excellent and cheerful. It was almost too good to be true, Judy didn't even start a fight with Jackie, Katy's stepmother.

When she returned to Rivendell it was in a cloud of joy and happiness. She had a week left of winter break before her last semester of classes and she had taken off work for that time to spend more with her family and have a bit more fun in Imladris. She spent the majority of it with Glorfindel though, as he had deemed it a good time to move on to archery, and thus she found herself with many new welts on her arms and bruises on her ego.

Katy knocked an arrow and struggled to pull the string back, feeling her arms tremble, and grit her teeth in determination. A target sat twenty yards in front of her, nothing more than a stack of hay that would later be given to the stables after they were through with it. Beside her Glorfindel stood with his arms crossed, watching her intently, and generally being nothing more than a charming distraction. She could not focus knowing that he was paying attention to her stance and critically analyzing her every flaw.

She let go of the string and the arrow wobbled through the air before lodging itself in the ground twelve or so feet in front of her.

"Could have been better," he commented hesitantly, not wanting to offend her.

"Thank you Captain Obvious," she snapped and with a sigh moved to retrieve the arrow.

Glorfindel laughed, "That tongue of yours will get you in trouble one day I have no doubt." He uncrossed his arms, brushing a strand of long blond hair over his shoulder, before taking the bow out of Katy's hand. He hefted it, feeling the weight, before pulling back on the string experimentally. "This is a pretty heavy bow for a woman, I was hoping you would have a bit more strength in your arms, I guess you will have to work on that . . ." he trailed off in thought, eyeing the target in the distance.

She watched him, taking the chance to get a good look at him, and discovered she rather liked his character. She had always gotten along with him but rarely had she ever been in his company outside of their weapons training and she realized that it was a true shame because he was an amazing friend. He was youthful and quick to laugh but he also had a pensive side, she noted. His hair, unlike the majority in Rivendell, was blond and hung far down his back. She had yet to see him without some form of armor and today he was even wearing metal pouldran's . His long sleeved tunic was a deep plum color but the sleeves were covered by leather bracers and his torso by a thick leather belt from which hung a sword and a dagger. His breeches were black and tucked into knee high leather boots that had rough laces up the front. He was dressed rather darkly for an elf, she decided, and voiced her opinion to him as he lowered the bow.

"I was out on patrol last night," he answered with a shrug of one shoulder, "I advise the others to wear dark clothing at night as well that way if we do come across anyone . . .unsavory . . .we will remain unseen." He gave her a roguish smile and handed the bow back to her. "Practice pulling the string back and holding it for as long as you can," he advised before giving her a brief bow and walking off.

"Where's he going?" she muttered to herself and later regretted it when the elf turned back and gave her a smirk. "Ugh!" She threw up her arms and turned to do as he instructed. If she was going to be humored then she would certainly blow his expectations of her out of the water.

She would have to catch up with him sometime outside of her training.

When her winter break ended and she was once more weighed down by hours of homework among her restaurant work she was struck a blow. So harsh that she was heavily affected for several months, nearly a year afterwards, and Elrond himself had feared for her mental health.

Katy had been flipping through her mail, having a spare moment that day when her phone rang. She was in the middle of scanning the cover of a magazine when she answered.

"Hello?"

"Katy! Oh God, I've been trying to get ahold of you for hours, your father is in the hospital!" Her step mother babbled on the other end of line, in the background she could hear the chatter of several other conversations going, and sounded as if she were struggling not to cry.

"What?!" Katy exclaimed.

"I came home and he was laying on the floor, I don't know how long he'd been there . . ." she trailed off, trying to control herself.

"What hospital?" She asked, frantically moving about her apartment, collecting her bag and a pair of shoes.

"I don't even know, I can't think," she cried. "The one right down the street from us."

"Alright, I'm on my way," she stammered.

Katy didn't bother calling for a taxi, she stepped out of her apartment and out of a custodian's closet in the hospital. She closed the door behind her slowly, walking into a busy hospital filled with people, and had never felt more lost. It was funny to her, how she could jump about between eras and feel more secure in the distant past than she did right then, it made he want to cry. She was in a daze, too confused to understand what was happening in front of her as three stretchers were wheeled by frantically, there must have been a big accident somewhere she realized dimly. That would explain why it was so hectic. She spotted the front desk and slowly made her way over to the woman behind it.

"I'm looking for a Sam Jones," she spoke hesitantly.

"Relation?" the woman drawled with a sigh.

"He's my father," she answered distractedly when a wailing child was pulled down the hall behind her.

"He's on the third floor honey, room 3-17."

Katy thanked her and moved away towards the elevators across the waiting room.

She hurried down the hall, watching as the numbers above the doors ticked away, until she reached room 3-17 and froze.

She did not need to ask. She knew just by the way her family was gathered around the door, spilling into the room, with a doctor watching from the hall with a resigned look on his face. They were all crying. They should not have been crying, worried and distraught yes, but not sobbing. She reached for the wall next to her, finding that her legs were struggling to support her, and fought down the instant nausea.

"Katy," her mother called.

"No," she shook her head, fat tears streaming down her face. She could not accept it. They were all in there looking at what was left of her father, his body, and saying their last goodbyes and she could not do that. She could not allow that. It was not okay. She covered her face and turned away, refusing to look and see her father in any other condition than what he had looked like just last week, laughing at her lame Star Wars joke and offering to give her a ride to work. She fought back the images of Fourth of July cook outs with her dad gleefully lighting fireworks and running to take cover, his OCD car washing sprees, and the days they had gone to the beach before her mother divorced him. But worst of all was the memory of her falling off her bike and he had crouched down in front of her to slather her knees in band aids to cover all her scrapes and he had laughed and said, "Now if you get back up on that bike I will be the proudest dad in the whole world," and she had. Just to make him happy. He would never be there to pick her up when she next fell. He would not be there to see her graduate. He would not be there when she opened her restaurant. And he would not be there when she told them all about Middle Earth one day.

She sobbed, heaving shuttering cries, and pushed the comforting arms away from her. She shook her head again and leaned against the wall, struggling to catch her breath. "I want to go back," she cried over and over again and no one quite understood what she meant, she didn't even quite understand herself, the only thing she could think of that she could go back to was Rivendell. So she did.

She pushed past her family, her mother, her sister and brother, past her stepmom, and all her nieces and nephews before reaching for the nearest door and yanking it open with enough force to send it into the wall behind it. She slammed it shut behind her, heaving and sobbing still, and slid down the door and onto the floor. She dropped her head into her hands and cried harder than she ever had in her life.

"It's not fair," she gasped. "It's not right."

She could not handle the emotions she felt. Her memories of her father just kept playing over and over in her mind, looping, and torturing her because after every scene the words 'Never Again' were whispered and it broke her heart each time. It hurt so much that she couldn't breathe.

It took her close to an hour to realize that someone was on the floor with her and several more minutes before she realized it was Lord Elrond himself, seated just as she was with his back to the door, and an arm around her shoulders. This caused her quieting gasps of breath to turn into whines and she dropped her head onto his shoulders and pulled her knees up to her chest wanting to be nothing more than a speck on the floor. He rubbed at her arms and shushed her, murmuring kind words in her ear knowing that she was not listening.

When she had thrown herself into Rivendell she had ended up in that little room with the strange plants and as luck would have it, Elrond had been in that room, trimming the plants and inspecting their leaves thoughtfully. He was a healer after all and he often grew helpful herbs in his own home for convenience. He had nearly sliced his finger with the knife when she slammed the door shut behind her and he turned, ready to admonish whoever had so rudely intruded, and froze upon finding her a sobbing mess on the floor.

He could guess what had occurred. There were few things in the world that could cause so much grief.

When she had quieted down he stood, pulling her to her feet, and took in her red blotchy face and disheveled hair. It was still quite early in the evening in Rivendell, there would still be several elves out and about despite the darkening skies, but he doubted she would want to be seen. He reached for his throat and unclasped the cloak he wore and threw it around her shoulders, pulled the hood up, and gripped her shoulder reassuringly. He opened the door and guided her out and down the hall, one hand on her back and the other supporting her hand as he led her.

They did run in to an elf but he was thankful it was only Erestor, come in search of Katy no doubt, and only needed to see Lord Elrond shaking his head with a grim expression before moving aside to let them pass unhindered.

When they had reached her room he pulled her door open and ushered her inside before shutting it behind them. He guided her over to her bed and helped her under the covers before pulling a chair up next to her and making himself comfortable.

Katy paid little attention to what was happening around her, she stared blankly at her hands where they rested on her pillow in front of her, for she had climbed into bed on her side, caught within her emotions. She felt selfish, guilty, and horror struck by what had happened. She was experiencing a paradigm shift and yet caught within nostalgia all in one nauseating turn of events. When an hour had passed she shifted her gaze to the figure just beyond her hands, Lord Elrond smiled at her sadly, and she struggled to force a smile in return but her lips would only tremble.

"My dad . . .he. . ." she could not say it, everything in her being revolted against the notion that he was dead.

Elrond only nodded and reached for one of her hands in a gesture of comfort. "I understand." He spoke softly and looked upon her with a gaze of love and kindness that broke her heart.

"I could go back," she said, glancing at the ring on her finger. But it had grown cold ever since the thought had niggled its way into her mind, eating away at her conscious.

Elrond sighed and did not immediately respond his eyes flickered about her face, taking in her desperation. "You have an incredible gift, Katelyn, and I only ask that you thoroughly think things through before taking action." He leaned back in the chair but did not let go of her hand. "Men are mortal and their time comes when they must pass from this world, but do not throw yourself in harms way to go against what the forces have convened."

Katy closed her eyes, knowing that Elrond was wise beyond her few years of life, but refusing to hear his words. She had the power to go back and possibly save her father. Her step mom had not known how long he had been by himself suffering. She could go back and call an ambulance for him, help him, and possibly save his life. How could she not act on that?

"Things have a way of falling into order and occurring when they do, I only ask that you wait for your mind to clear before acting. I do not pretend to know the workings of time and how meddling in it may affect the future," Elrond finished quietly.

Katy nodded and fought against the tears once more. Elrond remained by her side until she fell asleep before leaving her to her rest. He instructed no one to bother her until she deemed she was ready to take on her usual tasks again. That night he did not sleep and instead wandered the grounds of Imladris thinking deeply upon Katy's plight and the mortality of men.

Katy went to the funeral but she refused to look at her father's body, displayed in an open casket, until the very last minute before it was shut for good. She cried again, but kept her sobs contained, and refused to take comfort from others. She would get over her emotions on her own.

It was a very light hearted funeral, to say the least, as Sam Jones was a very light hearted person. His life had not been a sad one and while his loved ones mourned his passing they were only tears of grief and separation, not of sympathy. He had been ruthless in his positive and amusing outlook on life and all knew that he would have preferred them laughing.

It was a bright and sunny day when his coffin was lowered into the ground of the local cemetery and it was followed by a bittersweet wake afterwards. Although they all wore black, demonstrating their grief and sadness, Jackie's house had never been filled with more love. There was much laughter that night and the party, for that is what it had developed into, lasted well into the early hours of the next day.

As per usual, Katy was left with clean up duty, although this time she had two midgets to assist her. Emma and Danny dried and put away every dish that she washed while Judy packed the leftovers away into the fridge. When they had pushed through the majority of the mess Katy had set the little ones free. She was washing out the last pan when her mother made a comment that troubled her greatly.

"You look just as young as ever." Judy had finished putting away the left overs and was wiping down the counters with a green dish rag. Jackie had taken to her room, distraught after the long and sad day, and everyone else had offered to clean up.

"Thanks," Katy mumbled, but deep down she was confused. Why would her mother comment on such a strange thing? She was never one to ponder on age or anything like it before. But then again, there had just been a death in the family and one's mind tends to wonder to the more morbid things when depressed.

"I would assume you were twenty if I were just meeting you, not almost twenty –six."

"What can I say, good genes?" Katy laughed hollowly and started drying the pan with her own rag.

"No, we age horribly," Judy muttered. "I would say you live a very healthy life style but I know for a fact that you do not."

"What are you getting at, mom?" Katy put the pan down and turned to find her mother leaning against the counter with her arms crossed.

"What have you been doing all these years, Katy? Unless you're at work or school no one knows where you are. You seem different – like you've found something – something that has made you more . . ." she paused, struggling to find the right words. ". . .Just more."

Katy did not respond right away. She did not know what to tell her mother. She certainly could not tell her the truth; that she had been strutting back and forth between two different eras as if she owned the world. That may have been a slight exaggeration but you could understand Katy's panic at the sudden turn her father's wake had taken. She was being interrogated. She hadn't aged? She hadn't exactly taken the time to carefully exam herself in the mirror in a long while. She never paid much attention to anything other than her dark circles but now that she thought about, they weren't as prominent as they once were. She lifted a hand to her face as if the action would put her fears to rest. She ignored the rest of her mother's questioning and made her way towards the bathroom.

The person that stared back at her was one that she recognized but upon closer inspection she began to notice little things that were different. Her dark circles were nearly nonexistent, though she reminded herself that she did have make up on, but still much lighter than they ever had been. Her eyes were a brighter and more vibrant shade of blue and the light ring of yellow around her pupils was more prominent even against the bloodshot whites from crying. Her hair was brighter, softer, and well behaved with no effort on her part. But most of all, the general aura that surrounded her was clearly visible to her. If she didn't know any better she would say she was an elf! She pulled her short red hair back to look at her ears hurriedly and let out a sigh of relief – human ears.

What did it mean?

She vaguely remembered Gandalf saying that the ring would change her somehow, but could it stop her from aging? Her mother was right, she didn't look a day over twenty. When she had reached her twenty-first birthday she had already begun to look older than her age due to years of little sleep and partying. Now that she thought about it, she was sure she had heard Gandalf joking with Elrond about being an old man and Elrond had told him retaliated with a response equivalent to "You're one to talk". Elrond was an elf, there was no telling how old he was, and while Gandalf did physically look old Katy knew that he himself was a ring bearer. All those years ago when she offered up her ring to him and asked him to take it he had refused for that reason. She was certain that Gandalf was far older than he appeared to be.

Would she outlive her family?

Fear bubbled up in her stomach threatening to uproot her meager dinner. She could not outlive another member of her family. Her heart could not bear it. The thought of living longer than even her mother disgusted her when in all actuality she would have outlived Judy anyways. She had always had the mindset that she would die young but now there was the very real possibility that she would outlive even Emma.

She rubbed at her face, attempting to calm herself, but the shaking of her hands would not cease. She paced in the bathroom, her heels clicking against the tiled floor. She could hear laughter and talking in the living room and suddenly the threat of her dinner coming up was all too real. She had struggled to keep her two lives separate but now they were colliding in a haze of panic.

"I have to get out of here," she muttered and threw the door open. Instead of her mother's hallway she was greeted by her own room in Rivendell. She stepped out into her room and shut the door. For whatever reason she could still hear her family chattering away merrily and suddenly her mother was there knocking on the door.

"Katy? What's wrong? I didn't mean to upset you," she knocked again.

Katy slid to the ground against the door and covered her ears with her hands to block out her mother's voice but she could still feel her knocking on the door. She was struck by the need for her father so suddenly that her heart broke for the thousandth time that day. Katy did not know how long she sat there, listening to her mother's frantic calls, but at one point her knocking had become quite frantic and she jiggled the door handle, trying to force her way through. It must have gone on for some time because her bedroom door was thrown open and it was Elladan who rushed in, confusion and concern written on his face, but as soon as the door hit the wall the knocking stopped.

Katy did not move for a few seconds. She waited, expecting the noise to start up again, but when nothing happened she hesitantly removed her hands from her ears.

"What in the world was all that racket?" Elladan asked. He moved further into her room and glanced about wearily before moving over to Katy and crouching down in front of her. "What is wrong Kaitlyn?" He placed a hand on her shoulder and was stunned to find that tears were spilling from her eyes and she was shaking. She lifted a hand and rested it on his hand on her shoulder. She opened her mouth to speak but no words would come. Elladan sighed and stood, pulling the woman up with him, and brought her out into the hall. "Come, I think it would be best if we visited my father."

Katy nodded and allowed herself to be led down the familiar halls to Elrond's study. Her mind was stuck on a loop. All she could think was the impending deaths of her loved ones and her being forced to watch them all wither and die. Of her late and father and what he would say in response to her situation. And the wish for everything to be as simple as it had been before Middle Earth. Nothing could penetrate to thick glob of panic that had swallowed her mind. Nothing, of course, except for the soft yet commanding voice of Lord Elrond.

"Katelyn," he called.

She blinked, coming back to herself for a moment, and stared up at the elf lord who was crouched in front of her to be at eye level. For whatever reason the situation amused her, she had only ever seen Elrond standing regally or sitting behind his desk in all the years that she had known him, and to see him crouching down now forced a smirk onto her face. Elrond quirked a brow like he so loved to do and smiled at her tiredly.

"Now that you have calmed down a bit, would you like to talk?" Elrond stood and moved away from her. He reached a tray that had been set on a high table against the wall and poured a bit of wine into a small goblet and brought it back to her. He did not mention her father, knowing that he had been laid to rest just that day, and that it may simply be the loss once more taking its hold of her. But he was quite surprised by her question.

"I . . ." she began. She was confused as to where to start. All she had consciously acknowledged was the complex array of emotions that she had experienced over the past three days. She decided to begin with a question, "Am I not going to age?"

Elrond did not answer her right away, he looked to Elladan who had been standing just behind the chair that Katy was sitting on, the twin nodded. He patted Katy's shoulder before taking his leave, probably off to find his brother no doubt. The lord turned his eyes back to Katy and let out a sigh.

"Though I do not pretend to have a full understanding of what you must be feeling at this moment I give you my utmost sympathies," he looked at her from his great height with kindness. "There are many peculiar side effects that the rings of power bring about in their bearers." He paused in thought, wondering how much information to divulge to her, and then continued. "Depending on the methods used to create the ring it may have darker consequences. Some go mad, driven by greed and lust for power, while others become wiser and more understanding."

"Like you and Gandalf," Katy observed.

"Yes," Elrond agreed haltingly. He glanced up to the ceiling, as if there was more he could add to her statement, but he refrained. "Regardless of all that the ring now sitting on your finger was made differently. That ring was made by the same elf that made the very rings that turned men and dwarf greedy and dark but I suspect that, at the time, he had begun to sense something dark rearing its head and he made one last ring. That ring was given a very piece of his soul, to sustain it and its bearer for as long as needed, before he passed on into the west. He is immortal, of course, and so I presume that for as long as you wear that ring you are as well."

Katy shook her head, "Then I do not want it. Let's find someone else to wear it and take my place. I will not outlive the people I love!" She jumped to her feet and began pacing the room.

"The Ring of Time chose you, I suspect it will not go to another. It waited far too long for you and I am certain that it will not give up on its chosen bearer," Elrond admonished gently. His eyes followed her figure as she moved about the room.

"I have no choice?" She asked from across the room where she had settled in front of the fire. She had sat down on the floor in front of it and pulled her legs up modestly considering she was wearing a dress.

"I am afraid not," Elrond agreed quietly.

Katy fell silent. Rather than sounding like a lost child and asking the elf what she should do she thought hard about her situation. She had no choice. The ring had chosen her for whatever reason, it wanted her to fix something, that had been what Gandalf had said. She would not age while she wore the ring and since it would not come off no matter had many times she twisted and pulled (for she had tried several times) she was stuck with it. She could not continue to live in her world for an undefined amount of time without aging as it would cause suspicion and doubt. She needed to know what was going on. What was going to happen in Middle Earth that would need her attention? She would need to understand the ring that glittered innocently on her finger and why it had come to her. Gandalf had told her she would need to devote all her time to Middle Earth and now she realized that he had been right. She dropped her hand into her lap and let out a deep weary sigh before turning her gaze to the crackling fire in front of her.

"Then I will do as Gandalf instructed me to do and move to Rivendell. I'll leave my life behind." She pushed herself into a standing position and dusted her dress off. She crossed her arms against the feelings of insecurity and fear of the unknown and the undeniable fact that she was running from her father's death.

"I feel that may be for the best but do not fear, you will not be alone," Elrond gave her a tight smile. "I will inform Gandalf of your decision. Now I think it is time for you to rest." He always dismissed her like that, she noted dully, was she that obviously at her limit?

"No, I won't be able to sleep. I'm going to move my things over into my room." She wrung her hands, feeling the need to do something now that she had come to a decision, and while she was filled with so much sadness she still felt a bit of excitement. There was guilt sitting in her stomach like a stone because of that.

"I see, I'm sure the twins will be interested in giving you their assistance then." Elrond rested a hand on her shoulder and guided her towards the door.

"It's not that big of a deal, I wouldn't even know where to find them," she assured the lord but followed his lead nonetheless.

"Why, they are right here," he exclaimed with a chuckle. He had pulled the door open to reveal the twins, both wearing guilty expressions, standing with their hands behind their backs. "It is no surprise, you've charmed them quite well," he explained. "Now go, do what you must and take tomorrow to get yourself organized. I'm sure Erestor will not mind."

Katy moved towards the twins and turned to face Elrond, opening and closing her mouth, trying to think of something to say other than the run of the mill thank you. Instead she settled on throwing her arms around him. The twins hid their smiles, loving the sight of their father (ever the regal and untouchable) looking confused, as if he had never received a hug before in his life. For it had been a long while since the twins themselves were young and in need of a doting parent. Elrond returned the hug hesitantly before smirking, wondering what kind of image he made, an age old creature like himself being thrown off by a simple hug.

He watched as the three made their way down the hall, Katy scampering ahead of the two in a strange combination of frustration and determination, and the twins casually following behind with soft smiles that he had no doubt were there.

He let out a light sigh and returned to his study feeling a bit lighter and yet saddened. He had a letter to write and a wizard to find and deliver it to.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Well, I have no clue if this story is any good or not, considering you bitches won't review! lol, but I shall continue because I am having fun with it and yall can eat me :P This chapter is where the action starts so be prepared for some fun! **

It was quite the adventure, transferring one apartment into another, for that was essentially what they did. There were no boxes or truck involved in this move, since Katy could just open her closet doors and step into her room in Rivendell, so in a way, it was more like they were rearranging a room. Katy first decided on what she would leave behind, mainly her bed and TV, as there was no need for either. She packed away all of her clothing in her long dresser and the twins happily moved it into the other room as easily as if they were lifting a box of feathers. Katy watched them with stunned surprise that left them in a fit of laughter. They were elves after all! They brought all of her furniture over, not including the bed, for her room was quite large and would hold it all. While she dutifully reorganized her bookshelf, laden and drooping under its load, the twins got to work on bringing over all her smaller items. They came across many musical instruments that had begun to gather dust and set them on her bed carefully, sensing that they had once been well used, and returned to collect more.

Katy sat on the floor, now in a pair of jeans, and shuffled through her vast collection of books. Most of her books still looked new but there were a few well-worn loved ones. She set them on the freshly moved bookshelf and sighed.

She stood and wondered back into her apartment, finding it barren but for a few things, and nothing but an echo of her home of the past seven years. She sighed and flipped the light switch before returning back to her room in Rivendell. She thanked the twins and Elladan gave her a brief hug and Elrohir grasped her hand in comfort before the two left.

Katy spent the rest of the night organizing the mess they had made, moving furniture, hanging up pictures, folding clothes, and staring at the room sightlessly lost in memory. By the time the sun had risen she was completely spent and found herself napping on the pile of blankets atop her bed. She felt no need to move, so lost in the surreal feelings that eddied about within her was she, that the thought of getting up to enjoy the day felt utterly wrong. She ignored the hunger gnawing at her stomach and curled deeper within her blankets, mourning the life she had led before everything had gone wonky. Truthfully, she grew depressed, as you can probably imagine. She spent the next few weeks hiding in her room or walking about listlessly with no true goal. Her lessons with Erestor slowed until they met only twice a week and even then she was often caught just staring off into space, making no real effort to take notes like she usually would. If ever one was to go looking for her they would most often find her at a window staring at the outside world, absorbed in memories. She thought often of her fellow employees at Tommy's and how long it would take to replace her. She thought of her family who, for whatever reason, thought she was off on some journalism trip. How would they fare without her? Would they be devastated when she never returned? But didn't she have the ring of time? She could go back to them whenever she wanted. Obviously she couldn't go back to a moment she had already lived through but she had all the time in the world if one thought about it. Her mother had claimed that she was off on some trip for four years, but it would be easy to pop back and say that she had not been successful, pretend like it never even happened. She could do that, but she would still be left to watch her family wither and die. She would just have to wait, maybe their whole lives, before she went back. That way she would have the rest of their lives to keep them to herself when all was said and done. She would go back to them when Middle Earth had been taken care of.

She spent her time pondering over time travel using all of the knowledge she had gathered through years of nerding out over science fiction shows, movies, and books. For the most part she found herself relying more on Doctor Who because while the Doctor himself was rather flighty and whimsical his rules of time travel seemed sound. For the most part. But she doubted herself even there, wondering if she wanted her kind of time travel to be more like the Doctor's because he was simply able to pull off miracles.

Every night before she went to bed she thought _"I'll start tomorrow. I'll learn all that I can and become a part of this time,"_ but the funny thing about depression is that even when you were well rested you still had no energy. She had no drive to push forward. The world that was Rivendell became a hazy place to her. While she knew that there were other elves roaming about the halls around her she chose to tune out their existence. She just felt so utterly lost and hopeless that she could not bring herself back to life. At some point there had been a bit of, well, not an uproar for rarely do elves react to situations as humans do, but more of an unrest about Rivendell. She had not paid it any mind, however, and had merely watched on while elves gossiped and ran about wearing concerned expressions.

She had been sitting at a window in the library, the sill was deep set and covered by pillows to offer comfort, and she had pulled her knees up and placed a book in her lap to read. Her eyes had scanned the same paragraph a hundred times or so before she grew tired of her inability to focus and turned her gaze to the cloudy skies outside. It had not yet started to rain but she sensed the pressure in the air shifting and knew that it would soon break. She sighed and turned her eyes back to the book and then slid them to the floor where she spotted something that had not been there before.

A boy sat, crouched on the ground as if he had just been crawling about, staring up at her curiously. He was human, she realized, after spotting his round ears. His cheeks were chubby and his eyes big, round, and grey. She theorized that he was probably about three if not a little older.

The two stared at each other for what felt like several minutes before she lifted a brow. "Yes?"

He dropped his eyes to his hands where they rested on the ground, refusing to answer her. He didn't quite know what to do with himself as he had been caught sneaking around and now found himself confronted by a lady who was not an elf. Elves did not keep their hair short and curly.

Katy turned her eyes back to her book to once again to attempt and absorb some kind of information just to stretch her brain. She had been on autopilot for nearly a month now and she was beginning to feel it in her sluggish thoughts. The boy did not move, however, and she once again turned her eyes on him.

"What's your name?" she asked.

He straightened, pushing himself back onto his knees, and shrugged.

"That's a funny name," she commented dryly.

The boy cracked a smile, "they keep calling me Hope. It's not my name but Elrond told me not to tell anyone my name."

"Oh," Katy scrunched her brows together. She knew who he was. She looked over her shoulder out the window thoughtfully. "Hope is a girl's name," she stated.

"That's what I said," he added.

"You're pretty smart for a three year old," Katy said.

"I'm almost four," he responded.

"Hmm," she hummed in acknowledgement.

Neither of them had been looking at each other as they spoke but now Katy closed her book and set it down on the window sill. He could already string together an intelligent conversation yet if she recalled, Emma had still been talking gibberish when she was three, but then again Katy had always tuned her out when she came running up to her. Maybe it was normal for three almost four year olds to be able to talk so well. She really was no expert on the subject.

"Tell me, Hope, what brings you to Imladris?" She dropped her legs to the ground and placed an arm on her knee to rest her chin on her fist.

Estel dropped his gaze to the ground once more and she noticed that his little shoulders hunched up to his ears. His curly mop of dark hair hid his eyes from view. "My da, he went to sleep," he mumbled quietly.

The hell? They used that lame as excuse of an explanation to tell him his father died? She snorted, watching as his eyes shot up to her face in stunned surprise. Her face softened and she smiled sadly down at him, "Mine did too."

"Does it make you lonely?" he asked, tears pulling in his round eyes.

"Sometimes," she admitted, "but mostly I feel tired."

"Tired?" he asked, the tears now spilling over his cheeks.

"Yes, like my heart is too heavy to carry now." She slid to the ground in front of him and pulled her sweater tighter around her against the chill of late winter.

"I feel it too," he hiccuped.

Katy took a moment to watch him, feeling her insides squirm to comfort him, and something warm blossomed in her chest. Here was a friend who needed her help. She felt her soul, struggling to climb out of her depression in an effort to pull herself together for him, to show him that people could carry on past the death of a loved one. She took a breath and reached forward, placing her hand on his head and ruffling his hair.

"But you know what that means?" she asked, a hint of a smile coming to her lips.

"What?" he lifted his eyes to her curiously. A desperate hope shined behind his grey orbs and her own smile grew.

"It's heavy because it's filled with love," she began, "they left us all their love so that we would never forget them."

"Really?" he wiped at his nose and rubbed the tears off his cheeks.

"Yup," she answered, "You'll always feel their love when you think of them and one day you can share their love with others and they'll feel it too."

Estel looked at his hands, scrunching them into little fists while he processed what she had said, "Can I share some with you?" He asked, looking up at her once more.

"Sure you can," she grinned and pulled him into a hug.

The boy wrapped his arms around her neck and she stood, supporting him in her arms, and moved towards the door. He remained quiet; probably knowing where they were going, and continued to hold onto her while she walked down the hall.

Katy allowed her mind to wander. If Estel was here in Rivendell then that meant to the events leading up to the war had already been set in motion and she would have to take up her role as a protector of Middle Earth like Elrond and Gandalf. She could not afford to mope around over a life that she could not go back to until her job was done, she needed to become serious about her goal, though she was still kind of in the dark in regards to what exactly her goal was. No matter how real her surroundings felt she still had trouble taking her life seriously since she had fist set foot in Rivendell. She had an inkling, something to do with the magic in the world disappearing, snuffed out like a candle in a dark room. She suspected that the war and Souran himself had something to do with it, but she was certain there was more to it than that. There had to be.

She stopped at Elrond's study and shifted Estel to one hip before knocking on the door. She waited before hearing the muffled 'Enter' and pushed the door open. She stepped inside, noticing that Glorfindel stood at the window and Elrond stood a few feet behind him. The two turned as she entered and Glorfindel broke into a wide smile, erasing the pensive and concerned look that had just been weighing on his brow. They had obviously been discussing something rather grim.

"So that is where he wondered off to, that is one mystery solved," he announced with a chuckle.

"The little turd was spying on me," she commented dryly.

"I'm not a turd," Estel muttered.

"Sure you are," she shot back as she passed him over into Glorfindel's waiting arms.

Elrond smiled at Katy, watching as she laughed at Estel and ruffled his hair. Glorfindel lifted the boy so he could see his face and admonished him for running off to which the boy pointed out that he had actually crawled off. He observed the lighter atmosphere around the woman, glad that Estel had pulled her out of her dark mood, and quietly wondered if he could use this to his advantage. Surely Katelyn would have a better understanding of how to care for a human child and he would no doubt be in need of somebody to relate to. It seemed they had already bonded, they bickered like siblings, though he was certain Katy was only playing on her part. He glanced out the window just as the first few rain drops pattered against the glass. With rain came hope and laughter that night for Katy took Estel out to play despite the weather that day and they did not return until they had been thoroughly soaked and in need of warm baths.

They had a celebration that night to commemorate the joyous occasion. It was a small affair, consisting of Elrond himself, Elladan, Elrohir, Glorfindel, Erestor, Katy, and of course Estel. Katy was told that it was a welcoming party for Estel but he had already been in Imladris for a week, she realized later, and had already been introduced to everyone. Elrond did not divulge any more information on the matter but everyone else at the dinner table knew that it was a party to celebrate the return of both Katy and Estel's laughter.

It was known that Estel's father had been murdered by a pack of wandering orcs on his way to Rivendell and Glorfindel himself had come across the pack just in time to save the boy from death by the jaws of a savage wolf. The boys mother had passed not long before and his father had sought to raise him in Imladris. His goal was met despite the dark consequences. But they refused to focus on the negative that night.

Katy's life improved immensely after that. Estel became her little shadow, following her around the house as if he were a lost puppy, which he kind of was. If Erestor was teaching her a lesson, Estel would sit on the floor playing with whatever toy he had been given that day, as the elves were always fawning over him. If she was requested to help with some odd chore by an elf or two he would follow behind her while she struggled with whatever task she had been given. When Glorfindel had stolen her away for archery practice Estel would follow along and watch from a safe distance. She found that, while she immersed herself within the Middle Earth culture, her life began to revolve around the little trouble maker. And trouble maker he was. When she had first him told him to go to the twins if ever he had need of their mischievous ways it had been in jest but within a year the three were already getting into a whole mess of trouble; pranking, hiding, and exploring. It would seem that the twins just loved dragging a companion around with them, no matter the age. While Estel was not her responsibility, she still found herself acting as stand in parent on more than one occasion. At one point, Estel had taken it upon himself to climb the tallest tree he could find to prove that he was just as able as any elf, fed up with being held back because of his human heritage. He had sat in that tree for hours, ignoring the calls of the elves below him, and when they attempted to climb up after him he would scream. They were confounded, bamboozled, and all around confused on how to handle the situation. They had never had to deal with such a child because, though elflings had a tendency to be mischievous, they were relatively mild mannered in comparison to human children. Katy, who had been interrupted from a lesson in dwarven history with Erestor, had come marching down into the gardens with a dangerous air about her. She had stopped at the trunk of the tree, arms crossed and well within sight of Estel, who looked down at her with as much defiance as his four year old face could muster.

"Can I ask just what in the world you think you are doing?" Katy had called up in a flat tone.

"I'm proving my point. I am just as capable as any elf!" He had cried down to her, tightening his grip on the branch he was perched on.

"The only thing you are proving is how much of a little brat you are capable of being. How does that help you?" She rested her fists on her hips and scowled.

Estel had the decency to look properly shame faced before scowling as well.

"No one doubts your capability because you are human, Estel, but because you are a young human, barely old enough to do the dishes let alone go off into the woods with elves who are hundreds of years old. I'm not even allowed out of Rivendell yet," Katy's voice softened. She stared up at the boy imploringly, wishing he would understand her words. "And I've been doing dishes for twenty years," she added.

Estel cracked a smile but quickly turned away, trying to hide it.

"Nah ah, I saw it. You smiled. Come down here you little tiger, or I'll be the one to come up and get you and you won't like it. I'll carry you down by your ears and maybe then you'll fit in with all the elves!" She laughed when he scrambled down the branches. In his haste, however, his foot slipped half way down and he fell. Everyone moved at once to catch him, but Katy got there first, arms outstretched and ready to take on the forty odd pounds hurtling to the ground. Glorfindel had come up behind her, ready to assist, but Estel had landed safely in her arms. The boy stared up at the girl, his little heart racing in his chest, and smiled.

"You're like Wonder Woman," he stated quietly.

Katy had laughed, partly out of the oddness of the statement (for she had long since told him all the stories she could think of and wonder woman had been one of them) and partly out of relief. She had clutched him to her chest with little thought and stared up at Glorfindel, who was watching her curiously. "What?" she asked.

"I think we should move up in pounds when it comes to archery for you," he stated dully.

But as Estel got older he naturally drifted to others for guidance, often she found him in the presence of Elrond or Glorfindel, learning the ways of Rivendell. With little left for her to do she focused more on honing her natural instincts, reflexes, and strength she suspected weren't so natural but more due to the ring on her finger. She became skilled in whatever weaponry she set her mind to but she quickly grew bored with her life. She had settled into a routine, which she was quite used to, but the knowledge that there was an entire new world for her to explore sent her into a tizzy. She would practice in the training fields a lot, intent on droning out her thoughts with physical exertion. Gandalf would show up every now and then and quiz her on Middle Earth, estimating her knowledge, before returning to Elrond's study to discuss things in private. She would find herself brooding more than she cared to admit. She even picked up her guitar again, tempted to start writing again, but she was too distracted.

It was during a rainy day when she was approached by Elrond, some four years after her official move, and she had been gazing out a window in a room reserved for private thought and lounging. That day she had pulled on a dress gifted to her by an ellyth that she had grown close to over the years, it was the only dress she would wear because, while it was flowing like all elven gowns, it was plain. The fabric was sturdy and colored a dark turquoise that accented her red hair.

"It is the first rain of the season," Elrond observed.

Katy chuckled and turned to face him, "Everyone starts an awkward conversation with the weather, Lord Elrond, what brings you?" She stood from her seat at the window and moved to give him a brief hug, they had not yet seen each other that week and she found herself missing his presence like one would miss their father, but she never allowed herself to go to far down that road.

"I have noticed your mood these few years steadily decline and I think I know what ails you," Elrond spoke with a chuckle. He gestured for her to retake her seat and he joined her at the window.

She had allowed her hair to grow over the years and by then the red wavy locks had reached past her shoulder blades and framed her face in a wild sort of way for she refused to tame it into a braid. He gazed at her figure as she stared out the window, finding that even though she had matured over the years she still had a certain air of impish amusement that became apparent every so often. She had not yet let go of her old life, he knew, because she still had yet to relinquish the hold of her mannerisms and strange quirks. She was adamant about her views on life and had a knack for simplifying matters that would leave even him confounded. He recalled one night, some years back, when she had found him studying the gardens absently, lost in thought.

"What's eating you?" she had asked.

He had long since become accustomed to her way of speech and had let out a light sigh before responding, "Long ago I had a very dear friend that I disagreed with and it formed a great rift in our friendship. We have not spoken since."

"Ah, trouble in the friendship department," she had commented.

He gave her a quick glance, bare of any emotion, and she had snapped her mouth shut.

"Sorry, continue," she urged.

"He is in great trouble these days and I wish that he would ask for my help, but he refuses all messages that I send, I fear for him." He finished quietly, turning his gaze east once more.

"I had a friend like that once," she said. "I later learned that she wasn't talking to me because she thought I was angry with her. She was ashamed of how she had been living her life and did not want to face me." She fiddled with her sleeve sweater, pulling at the frayed fabric.

"And?" he prodded her, curious.

"Huh, oh," she rubbed her neck, "I ended up finding out where she lived at the time and I barged my way into her apartment and demanded that she talk to me." She shrugged and turned her gaze on him, "I told her she was my best friend and I missed our friendship. Long story short, we made up, but it only happened because I made the first move and went directly to her."

Elrond did not respond at first, he sighed and grasped his hands behind his back in thought, "I cannot make my way to him at the time but perhaps in the future . . ."

Elrond came back to the present when a clap of thunder rolled across the sky.

"Oh, yeah?" she smirked and turned her gaze back to the rain. "What is that?"

"I believe it is the beginnings of wanderlust," Elrond stated. He watched her curiously before too turning eyes upon the storm outside. "You want to see what the world has to offer, to learn all that you can, take all that you can," he continued. Katy found her interest piqued, the words he spoke sounded vaguely familiar to her and she lifted her eyes from the window to him. "I understand." He fell silent and watched her for a few moments longer before coming to a decision. "I am sending the twins to Mirkwood to invite the king to our home this season to celebrate the coming of summer. It is a tradition that we have allowed to rest for far too long. Gandalf has been hinting at the idea of announcing you to the other elves, and I think this might be the best way to go about it. Though I must warn you, Thranduil is not the type to take lightly. He has grown rather . . .cold over the centuries . . ." he trailed off.

"You want me to go with them to Mirkwood?" Katy questioned. Her eyes were bright with a long lost fire. She jumped to her feet in excitement. "Oh my god, oh my god, this is perfect!" She would finally get her adventure! The moment she had been waiting for all her life. Suddenly, playing out back in the wood behind her neighborhood, pretending that she was on some grand quest while playing hide and seek with the other kids, seemed utterly pale in comparison to her real life at that moment. How far she had come!

Elrond allowed a satisfied grin to show for just a moment before once more becoming serious, "I want you to introduce yourself to the best of your abilities, I know Erestor has taught you our ways and has said you show great promise, but understand that despite all your effort he may still refuse you."

"That bad, huh?" she calmed.

"I am afraid so but take heart, you will learn much on this venture, and though King Thranduil may seem harsh as long as you are in the presence of my sons you will be fine."

"You make it sound like my life is in danger," Katy said with a nervous chuckle.

"Yes, well, I am sending you away without conversing with Mirthrandir so if anyone is in mortal danger it is I. He would rather wait but of the elves Thranduil and his people are the only ones yet to know of your presence. Lady Galadriel was made aware the second you set foot in this time. I feel that it is unfair to withhold your existence from him any longer lest I incur his wrath." Elrond stood, ending the conversation. "You will leave within the week so be prepared." He smiled at her, patted her on the shoulder, and left in a swirl of purple robes.

"Oh my god," Katy whispered after he had left.

No one was around to see her jump about the room in a childish fit of glee and no one would ever hear about it.

That late spring morning, one week after Elrond had sat down with her; Katy stepped out into the sun and sighed. She had opted to wear jeans, her brown leather lace up boots, and a green tunic gifted to her long ago by Erestor. She had pulled on a light grey cloak over it and thrown her brown leather pack over her shoulders after it. The twins stood waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs, three horses waiting patiently next to them. They were joined by Elrond himself as well as Erestor, Glorfindel, and Estel who all wished to say goodbye. She took a moment to examine the small gathering and smiled. She could not explain in words the feeling she felt when looking down at her group of friends, only that it felt right. Like home. She hoisted her bag and walked down the stone steps lovingly.

"I see you finally decided to join us," Elladan drawled while adjusting his saddle bags.

"Yeah, yeah," Katy waived him off and bent down in front of Estel. Though he was quite tall now, she still had to crouch to be at eye level with him. "I'll see you later, kiddo," she ruffled his hair.

"Come back soon and tell me everything," he pleaded, hanging around her waist with his arms clasped tight around her.

"It's a sure thing," she laughed.

"Yes, do be hasty, the festival begins in a month. You have a week and a half of spare time so do not linger long in Mirkwood," Elrond began and leveled a look at Katy. He was either hinting at her to keep a close eye on the twins, or that she should behave, she wasn't sure which. "Though I know you will be tempted," he muttered quietly to her. He gave her a strange lingering look, full of hidden meanings, before turning to the twins. "Keep to the path, ride hard, and be safe."

"Yes, Father," the twins answered in unison, both lifting their hands to their chests and bowing their head.

"Aye, Aye, Capt'n ," Katy saluted.

"Take this with you Katy," Erestor lifted a small leather bag to her.

"It's dangerous to go alone?" she quoted, but the joke was lost on the elf and she snorted at his confused expression. She took the bag and glanced inside, her favorite (only) dress lay at the bottom and atop it sat a simple circlet with an amber stone at its center. She scrunched her brows together in confusion. "I don't understand," she mumbled, lifting the circlet into the light, admiring the silver swirls. The twins shared a significant glance before turning to look at their father.

"Before you show yourself to the king, make sure to change into that," Erestor explained.

"Oh, okay," she nodded and moved to put the bag amongst the other saddle bags already packed away on the grey horse situated between the two white ones that the twins were to ride. She heard Glorfindel laugh behind her and stuck out her tongue over her shoulder before climbing up onto the horse. The animal shifted under her, impatient to begin now that his rider was situated. She had nicknamed him Ross, the sindarin word for rain.

The twins followed her example and soon they were off, waving one last time. Katy smiled over her shoulder and kicked her mount into a trot, pulling ahead of the twins who laughed at her antics.

The first day was rather boring. Katy enjoyed the nice weather and the casual chatter between her and the twins but it didn't take long for her to pull out her phone which still housed hours worth of music. She had put in one ear bud so that she could still hear the twins talking and let out a content sigh. She was not worried about her phone running low on battery as she had come across a little trick quite by accident long ago. Either way she would not be sharing said trick any time soon as it was rather silly to watch.

There was not much to see on their journey. There were a few interesting rock formations, jutting up out of the ground amongst the hills and trees, but other than that Katy was left to entertain herself. The weather remained fair and they stayed in rather good moods until they reached the mountains at the end of the second day. Katy was feeling quite sore from the riding and when they had stopped to make camp amongst the foothills of the Misty Mountains she had thrown her bags down and curled up under her blanket immediately. The twins had made no comment, only laughed, and let her be. They really didn't need to sleep but they would rest a bit and regain some of their strength while keeping watch.

It was in the middle of the night when Katy was woken by a hand to her mouth. She tensed and shot her eyes open, taking in the concerned expression of Elrohir and glanced down at her before looking away, presumably to his brother. She tried to calm her racing heart, as the dream she had been experiencing had left her more than a bit nervous as it was (something to do with zombies and her mom's dog), and glanced about her surroundings. She noted that it was still late in the night and their fire had yet to burn down to coals. The twins never kept it lit through the whole night as it was more for her comfort than necessity.

"Goblins," he whispered and motioned for her to remain quiet. She nodded and he removed his hand and allowed her to sit up. She moved as quietly as possible and turned her head to see Elladan tense with bow strung, staring into the dark trees around them. She had never seen him look so serious in the seven years that she had known him and it caused her anxiety to sky rocket.

If you have ever seen a goblin you will know that they never travel alone. They frequently leave their cave dwellings in great hordes to pillage unsuspecting travelers or villages and drag their victims back into the caves where they would be forced to work as slaves, or eaten, whichever. The three were no exception and though both Elladan and Elrohir had the advantage of elven sight and aim they could not stop the wave of the little wretches as they swelled out of the trees and overran them.

Goblins came at them from every angle and Elladan swore before the first one had even reached him. He shot a goblin just as it ran at him, killing it not a foot from his position, and jumped back when three more came to take its place. Elrohir had chosen to draw his sword and he attacked with all his might, fighting against the mob, attempting to give Katy some time to pull her head out of her ass and get a move on. She reached for a dagger she had stuffed in her boot but never had a chance to strike with it as a goblin had launched himself at her and pushed her to the ground on her stomach.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" she cried. She felt like she was being arrested after being caught at a dumb house party. Caught unawares and being man handled like a delinquent. She kicked and screamed against the thing on top of her and was rather satisfied when she heard a pained grunt from another goblin who had been attempting to help his companion.

Elladan threw his bow to the ground and drew twin daggers from his back and charged at the goblins hopping around Katy while Elrohir took the front and tried to guard his companions to the best of his abilities but it was no use, they were quickly overrun.

Laughing and cackling the goblins bombarded the trio, tying them up, and threw them over their shoulders all the while yammering away to each other in their ugly language that Katy refused to translate. They were dragged through the trees, kicking and screaming, until the goblins delved into the caves and they were thrown into complete darkness.

Katy briefly wondered if this was how a Christmas tree felt before coughing against a rather rough jab from her captors shoulder jabbing into her stomach while he skittered over the cave flooring.

"Katy!" one of the twins called but in the confusion she could not tell which. She was being jostled, bruised, and pinched by the creature that held her and she was quickly growing frustrated. With a healthy dose of fear, of course. She kicked at the goblins stomach, feeling her toes curl against metal armor, and grunted in pain. It chuckled.

There was a commotion from the front of the group and Katy assumed it was the twins fighting back. She took the chance to wrap her legs around the torso of the goblin carrying her, for her wrists were bound but not her ankles, and heaved with all her might, pushing her body backwards. Finding himself thrown far off balance, the goblin toppled forward on top of her and she cried out. It scrambled to get a hold on her and she kneed it in the crotch, satisfied when it yelped and rolled away.

"This way, Katy!" That was Elrohir for sure, she thought, and rolled to her feet, taking off down a tunnel to her right. She ignored her scraped and bruised limbs, feeling her lungs burn for air, and scrambled through the darkness after the twins. She could not see but the ground felt relatively smooth and if she concentrated she could smell pine needles and cinnamon, the scent of Rivendell. She kept running until a pair of arms hoisted her into the air and she struggled but calmed when Elrohir spoke, "Hush, we've escaped them for now." He set her down and she turned, just able to see their figures.

The sounds of the squabbling goblins could still be heard echoing down the tunnels and they held their breaths, trying to douse their panting, not overly thrilled at the idea of their previous captors finding them. The three took a moment to gather their wits about them. They were all scraped and bruised and their horses had been left behind but the twins each had a pack on their backs, thankfully, they had thought ahead and pulled their bags onto their shoulders at the first hint of trouble.

"What do we do now?" she panted.

"Don't worry, we've been in worse. Luckily, we know the way out," Elladan bragged. He was still breathing heavily and Katy sensed the slight hesitation in his tone but did not remark on it.

"Really?" Katy was more than a little bit impressed and she could see that her voicing of said impressment inflated Eladan's dangerously large ego. At least it kept his spirits up, she thought dully.

"Yes, it will take us a day though so let us be on our way," he sounded a bit excited now and started off down the tunnel, leaving her and Elrohir behind, confident in his chosen path.

She heard Elrohir sigh beside her and heft his pack before following his brother, boots barely making a sound against the stone floor, determined to return to the outside world. The elves of Imladris were not too fond of oppressive stone and darkness.

It was hours after walking through the dank darkness that Katy let out a frustrated groan. She had stubbed her toe for the seventh time and nearly tripped. Elrohir reached out with a steadying hand and grasped her arm. He did not take it back for fear of her hurting herself again.

"How do you know your way about these caves?" she whispered curiously.

"It wasn't always infested with Goblins. Dwarves used to live here, way back before there was such animosity between our races. Elladan and I visited these mountains several times in our younger years." Elrohir explained. He too refused to raise his voice above a whisper and Katy feared it was because he could hear goblins moving about around them but she was certain that they were far out of the way of any living creature by then. The air had long since been freed of their disgusting stench and was just cool and stale.

"How long ago was that, like, fifty billion or something?" she asked slightly out of breath from their trek. She stepped over a loose stone carefully before glancing up at Elrohir.

"No!" Elladan snapped from ahead of her.

Katy snickered and ignored the look that Elrohir gave her, though she couldn't see it, she certainly felt it through the darkness.

Speaking of said darkness, it was suddenly pierced by a soft light, one that the three knew well. Sunlight. They came around a corner and were greeted by the sight of a cracked stone door. The three rushed to it, thought Katy was surprised Elladan didn't take the time to gloat, and pushed their way through. They spilled out onto a grassy hill dotted with huge jutting block rocks and a few trees. The door creeked shut behind them, nothing more than heavy stone, and disappeared among the rest of the mountain side as if it had never been there. They glanced up at the clear blue sky and each let out a breath of relief.

They did not linger.

Once they had put a bit of distance between them and the goblins Elladan handed Katy her own pack, which he had stuffed within his larger one, and she took it greatfully. Though their horses were lost to the goblins no doubt, they had enough provisions to last them until they reached the borders of Mirkwood. The twins did not seem to worried about their supplies despite Katy's anxiety and had calmed her by assuring her that they would not starve. While Mirkwood may not have much in the way of game they could certainly find a few nuts and berries to sustain them long enough.

As the sky grew darker they began to hear the distant chatter and shrieking of goblins far behind them.

More so than ever, the trio made haste down the mountain, for they had come out on the other side of the range, and hurried into the trees.

Katy tried not to complain as they walked, but she was discovering a range of injuries that she had received during her rough handling and when she came across a cut down her back that she had received when her and her captor crashed onto the cave floor, she let out cry. She had not known that the injury was as bad as it was until she felt the warm sticky liquid that was her blood drip down her spine. She had been too preoccupied with goblins and caves to notice before. When they made camp that night she had lifted her tunic for the twins to see and they hissed between their teeth. Elrohir had seen to it that it was lathered in salve and bandaged properly. It was embarrassing. She had to sit with her knees drawn to her chest while he apologized and wrapped the bandage over her chest repeatedly while Elladan looked the other way. She had sat fuming, face red, until Elrohir had pulled her tunic down and moved away with a sigh.

"I've been violated," she cried in despair.

"Elrohir, you animal!" Elladan had joined in and Katy had felt a little bit better when the elf in question turned pink and scowled at them both before facing the other direction.

They ate the last of their bread that night and were mostly silent. They did not start a fire for fear of the goblins finding them, though they were far from the mountain. "Better safe than sorry," Katy had said.

It was on the seventh day after leaving Rivendell that they finally reached the forest that had slowly grown on the horizon. They stopped in front of a sort of gate marked by antlers that once belonged to long dead deer of incredible size. Katy stood in awe before hurrying to catch up to the twins who were bickering over who was the better shot of all things. The second her foot had touched down on the leaf covered ground of the forest she felt a weight drop on her. It was stifling, suffocating, and dare she say it, somehow invigorating. While most of Middle Earth still remained untamed there was something unquestionably wild about the Mirkwood forests that left her feeling on edge. She sniffed the air, finding an almost animalistic instinct take over, and trailed behind the twins absently.

"Do not stray," Elrohir warned, "There are spells layered over this wood with only the intent to confuse you."

She had taken to holding onto his cloak like a scared child after that, intent on not getting lost.

"The forest is getting worse," Elladan said quietly later that day.

"Aye," Elrohir replied absently.

Katy knew that the forest was at war with the darkness, Erestor had taught her that much, and though she could sense it she was finding it hard to concentrate. It must have been the magic. She found her mind wondering to things long since forgotten. She wondered how her parents were (forgetting that her father had passed away four years ago), if her brother was still with the she harpy he called a wife, and how big Emma was getting. She'd be eleven now, Katy realized, and getting ready for middle school. How was her mother? Judy portrayed herself as a strong woman, and she was, but Katy could never shake the feeling that deep down she was always sad. Was her absence affecting her as badly as she feared? She comforted herself with the knowledge that she would one day return once she had figured out her duty in saving Middle Earth.

She was vaguely aware of one of the twins, always at her side, guiding her while the other forged on ahead. She was never sure which one it was or if they took turns but she knew one of them was constantly at her side. They spoke to each other of dark things, she thought, because they always had dour and weary expressions on their faces when they talked.

When they stopped to rest she dreamt of darkness. But it was not the ever encroaching shadows of Mirkwood that tortured her but the darkness of the desolate future that awaited her back home. Of a world without the magic of Middle Earth. She dreamt of the elves leaving, of the last dragon dying, and of the wizards returning home. She watched as they all left and the world grew grey and dim and man forgot about what once was and trudged on as best they could, never realizing that the sadness they felt was due to the lack of magic in the world. They waged wars over things that did not matter and created strife amongst their races out of unknown anger and hurt. Their frustration and hatred was misplaced, she tried to reason with them, they must call everyone back with joy and laughter. Bring their friends back with hope and wonder and possibilities. They were ruining the Earth and marring its surface, making it ugly, and turning it to ash. No magic could live there any longer. And now they simply existed, lost in a daze of wanting, a need to fill the hole within their hearts but no way to do so.

She cried.

She was so lost in thought, so absorbed in her past and childhood and tormented by the future, that she did not realize that days had passed. The twins had made no comment, not that she could recall, but on the morning of the third day she realized her bandages had been changed.

"When did this happen?" she asked.

The twins looked up from where they had been sat, talking quietly, and smiled. "We had begun to fear you were too far gone in mind to ever return to us," Elladan exclaimed. He moved over to her and crouched in front of her, gazing searchingly into her eyes.

"How long has it been?" she asked, rubbing at her face tiredly and noticing that she was famished. Her stomach cried out like a dying whale in acknowledgment.

"Three days," Elrohir answered from his position by a small fire. He prodded it with a stick absently and glanced up at the canopy above them wearily.

"Holy shit," she cried. "I literally zoned for three whole days and no one thought to snap me out of it?"

"We tried, but you would only nod and say something like 'hold on, I'm thinking' or, Elladan's favorite, 'Shut up Aaron, mind your own damn business!'. Who is Aaron?" Elrohir responded.

"Aaron is my brother," she answered through her laughter.

"You have a brother?" Elladan perked up. He shot his own brother a glance who only shrugged and returned to watching the fire with an un-elflike yawn.

"Three if you count step siblings," she said while stretching out her arms and back.

"What are step siblings?" Elrohir questioned.

"In my time people can marry, divorce, and remarry. If your father remarries his wife becomes your step mother and her children, if she has any, become your step siblings," she explained.

"How strange," Elrohir commented.

"Three brothers, huh?" Elladan said, "That explains it." He shot his brother a knowing look and the two grinned.

"Explains what?" She snapped and punched him in the shoulder sending the brothers into a fit of laughter.

Their merriment ended there however, because all three tensed at the same time, hearing a strange cackling sound along with the creaking of wood. Elrohir was the first to look up and he quickly drew his blade. Elladan followed his example and turned to throw a dagger to Katy who dutifully caught it and jumped to her feet.

This would be her first battle she realized as she did not count the skirmish with the goblins as one since she had not had enough time to prepare and oh how she wished it were not up against the behemoth of a spider the perched in the trees above them, but it was. She had not been able to restrain the squawk of surprise and fear that forced its way up her throat but as soon as it dropped to the ground with an earth shuddering thud, she narrowed her eyes. She felt the ring grow hot against her finger. On either side of her the twins crouched in battle ready positions and it was Katy who turned to face the other spider coming up behind them.

Rarely do the spiders hunt alone.

It was a beautiful moment. They were so perfectly synchronized that Katy would have claimed they had trained together since birth had it not been for the ring that she knew was lending her elven strength and reflexes. The twins short forward and she behind at the same moment and while they brandished their swords she flipped her dagger in hand and threw herself atop the spider with no hesitation, letting out an animalistic scream (Partly due to adrenaline and partly due to disgust and squimishness) that she did not know she held within her, and plunged the dagger between the four pairs of eyes staring at her menacingly. The spider squealed and pulled away from her, curling into a ball like any common household spider would and died.

Katy turned to find the twins and discovered them to be in battle with several more of the beasts than she could have imagine, there were eat least six more coming at them and she did not waste any time in throwing herself into the throng. She knew that if she hesitated she would lose her nerve and so decided to act fast. She stuck with her previous tactic, as she had no sword to combat them, only a short dagger, and was forced to get up close in personal with the hairy things. She lunged at one, intending to stab it between the eyes, but it caught her dagger in its mouth. She growled and pushed forward, shoving the dagger in as far as it would go, feeling its mandibles scrapping against her arm as she drove the blade deeper and deeper into its slimy and warm head. It screamed. She was caught unawares, however, when another spider knocked her to the ground, standing over her and crouching, baring its fangs. Her dagger had been lost, lodged within the brain of the now dead spider, and she was left defenseless.

"No!"

She did not turn to look to see who cried out because, suddenly, the spider was squealing and rolling off of her. It scuttled away, an arrow sticking out of its swollen abdomen.

Katy fell back to the ground panting. The adrenalin drained out of her, leaving her gasping for breath and feeling every bump and scrape she had gained from the fight. She stared up into the trees, seeing the faintest hint of blue sky between the leaves far above, before the view was blocked by a concerned Elladan crouched beside her. His face was splattered with spider gunk and his hair fell around her face in dark wet ringlets.

"Are you alright, Kaitlyn?" he asked. He was patting down her head, shoulders, and arms as if looking for a blood or a broken bone.

"I'm okay," she answered quietly.

Elladan pulled her to her feet and she dusted off the seat of her jeans and adjusted her cloak while she took in her surroundings and discovered that, though the spiders had gone, they were now in the middle of a group of wild looking elves in armor and leather.

A Group of patrolling elves had come across them just in time to save the day, it would seem, and Katy had never been more grateful. She did not remember their names, or even if she introduced herself, as she was too busy fighting the sudden urge to curl up in a ball and sleep. And maybe cry a little.

Elladan had placed a hand on her back and guided her towards the new elves that had begun their trek back to the King's Halls. They would guide them there to insure their safety and warn their king of their arrival. Elrohir stepped up next to the two and let out a relieved sigh. They had barely escaped with their lives, he realized, as he himself had received quite a nasty gash on his shoulder. He glanced at Katy with a look of soft pride. She had done well, he decided.

It was another day of walking before the finally reached their goal but during their trek their wounds were seen too and they cleaned up the best they could. The Mirkwood elves were patient and jolly enough and took a liking to Katy as most Mirkwood elves enjoyed the presence of man. They often traded with Dale and later Lake Town had long grown accustomed to their ways. There was much talking and joking in the group, and the stories of the three fighters were exaggerated as the event was revisited and told play by play. The trio had gone from a ragtag group of survivors to valiant knights in such a short timespan that Katy found herself laughing despite her mood.

"The Fiery Spider Bane," they had called her, "And her guardians of light!"


	7. Chapter 7

When the three arrived in Mirkwood they were covered in dirt, blood, and more than a little bit irritable. While the twins composed themselves easily enough, being that they were elves and quite good at that sort of thing, Katy was left to fume. They trudged on, led by the patrol that had come across them just in time to save them from a pack of spiders that were the size of cars, and through the open gates of the mountain. Katy took the time to observe her surroundings, amazed at the stone work and the rather more rugged looking elves that glided through the halls. She saw Ellyth in armor and many of the Ellon had more natural hair colors. She even spotted a few red heads like herself. Mirkwood was a dark place, filled with monsters and the forest itself seemed to have a will of its own, but the elves survived and thrived as if it were the easiest task in the world. Katy found herself drawn to this kingdom, like a moth to flame, here one could be wild.

The walls of the passages were lit by torches and were just large enough to allow them to pass through comfortably without having to rearrange the order in which they walked; namely the twins with Katy in the middle. The woman was entranced by the carvings on the walls, finding her eyes drawn to the stories they told, and was not entirely paying attention to where her feet were going. The twins took it upon themselves to act as her guide.

Eventually, the passage opened up into a large room that held little more than a steep and curving stone staircase that led up to the throne. What a sight it was, a pair of large antlers reaching up around it in an almost protective manner. If Katy thought the throne was regal, however, then she had no words for the being that sat within it. He was the embodiment of all that she felt an elf should be. She felt rather guilty of that thought, but wile Lord Elrond was handsome, kind, and wise, Thranduil was imperial and untamed. He sat upon that throne like a diamond upon a ring. He belonged there, simple as that, and when he turned his head to follow their progress into the room Katy found herself mesmerized. He had wild and cold eyes. His hair, which was always one of her favorite parts about the elves to admire, went unnoticed. While his hair was long and of a color she could not even begin to describe, there was something so entrancing about his eyes and she felt that, if she were to look hard enough, she would find something so utterly human about them that it would bring her to tears. Ah yes, that was empathy at its finest. Because whether it was the cause of the ring or her sympathetic nature, she knew that he had lost much, and become cold and calculating because of it. But she would never speak her thoughts allowed. Instead she chose to turn her eyes away and follow the twins, dutifully watching where she stepped, and thought no more on the subject.

When the group finally came to the landing of the stairs the remainder of the patrol, whose numbers had slowly dwindled as they moved through the mountain, bowed and made their leave. The twins, quickly followed by Katy who was still a bit dazed, bowed. She glared down at her boots, noticing the flecks of mud and spider guts that decorated them, and thought it would be best if she pulled herself together before she made a dumb move and offended the king.

"Elladan, Elrohir, I welcome you," Thranduil spoke. Just like his eyes, his voice was cold, if a bit more civil and polite than Katy had expected. "But who is the little one between you?"

Katy tensed, little? Ugh, elves.

"Thank you King Thranduil," Elrohir nodded. "This is Katelyn Jones, she has been with us for a few years now in Imladris and my father felt it was time that her existence was made known to you." He spoke calmly and clearly, gesturing to Katy as he introduced her, and she once again bowed with a hand to her chest.

"And why is that?" he asked, a bit colder. He watched them as an animal did its prey.

The twins shared a glance from the corner of their eyes over Katy's head of wavy red curls. Uncertainty flickered in their chests at that tone.

"If I may speak?" Katy moved forward and spoke in a soft tone that the twins had not heard her use in all the years she had lived in Rivendell. They stared at her curiously. She had always spoken in either a loud attention grabbing voice, using her diaphragm, or a sarcastic drawl. There really was no in between unless the threat of mortal death was upon her, in which case she just screamed.

"You may," Thranduil said with a look of aloofness. His eyelids lowered as he scrutinized her, taking in her appearance and stance, finding her character to be of the pleasing kind.

"Thank you," Katy smiled kindly and stood straight, meeting his eyes for the first time since they had arrived in front of him. "I arrived in Rivendell quite by accident, you see, I'm not from this time." She spoke confidently even when Thranduil's eyes widened and he took on a suspicious expression. "Lord Elrond took me in and taught me of Middle Earth and its many peoples. It was soon discovered that the reason I had been misplaced from my own time was because I had come across a ring."

Thranduil quirked a delicate brow and glanced at her hands, but of course he could not see the silver band that adorned her finger, for he was not a ring bearer. He scowled and turned his gaze away.

"And why, has he sent you to me? Surely it was nothing more than to taunt me." He thought of the years of struggling against the darkness. The horrible sickness that his people and forest was forced to endure while Imladris and Lothlorien remained protected by their rings of power. Safe within their borders and without a care in the world. A cold rage rolled off of him in waves.

"No, sir." Katy responded calmly. "Understand that I was thrust into this time with no knowledge of it. I am from a future that is so distant none of this is even thought to have existed. I was ignorant and so he thought to remedy it before I went about blundering through Middle Earth insulting and offending all those that I encountered," here she paused, struggling not to laugh, "We aren't very well mannered where I am from." She took a breath before continuing with a bow once more, "Lord Elrond sent me to introduce myself to you formally and offer you my assistance if ever you have need of me."

Thranduil gazed at her from the corner of his eye. "I see," he looked her over once before turning his gaze on the twins. "So you have been learning the ways of Imladris, how do you like it?"

"Well," Katy struggled to express how she felt towards their culture without using such a blasé term like she normally would, but eventually she gave up. "It's a bit artsy fartsy," she muttered. Then a term came to mind and she brightened, "Utopian, that's the word."

The twins turned to scowl at her and Thranduil smirked. "Yes, it is a very peaceful place. You will find that Lotherien is even more so . . ."he trailed off thoughtfully and cocked his head. "From the state you three are in I would assume you ran into some trouble with the goblins in the misty mountains and no doubt the spiders of Mirkwood."

Katy once more looked down at her favorite boots and sighed. She had long since been cleaned up but there was still a smattering of her blood across her jeans and tunic. She was still covered in bruises of course but they would vanish over time, she only hoped the stains would come out of her clothes.

"Go and rest, recover yourselves, and join me for dinner tonight so that I may hear of your travels."

Katy was led to a guest bedroom deep within the halls of the mountain. The twins had parted ways with her, bragging that they would get rooms with windows, and had left her staring open mouthed at them. She scowled before turning to follow the quiet ellyth who was paving the way to her claustrophobic meltdown, it would seem. She adjusted the strap of her bag and stepped over a protruding stone hesitantly before scampering to catch up to the elf who had yet to look back at her, or even speak. They came to a door where the ellyth bowed and left her, continuing deeper into the mountain. Katy stared at the dark wooden door in front of her before turning the brass doorknob and peaking around into the room. She may not have had a window, she noted, but she did have a luminous pool of water in the corner of the bedroom. It did not light the room by itself, however, and there were several candles lit and flicking in the slight breeze she had created by opening the door.

Katy threw her bags onto the queen sized bed and moved to inspect the glowing water in the corner. There were small white fish swimming about it and a few lily pads and weeds growing artfully around it. She hummed and stuck a finger in, wiggling it around, and laughing when the fish nipped at it hungrily.

"They are strangely playful little things," a soft voice spoke from the doorway and Katy glanced up curiously to find that the ellyth had returned with a towel and some soaps. "I brought you some things to wash up with," she gestured to her armload shyly and Katy smiled.

"Thank you," Katy said. She stood and brushed off the knees of her jeans before pausing, "Where can I do that?" she asked with a laugh.

"Right through that doorway," she pointed with her chin at a small door Katy had not noticed, located on the other side of the bed.

"Oh, perfect!" She brightened and moved over to the elf, relieving her of her arm load. "So what's your name?" She asked curiously.

"Lythia," she answered promptly.

"I'm Ka-."

"Kaitlyn Jones, I know," she spoke kindly with a smile.

"Right." Katy laughed, "Well, I'm going to get cleaned up. When's dinner?"

"In two hours time," Lythia said as she left the room with a chuckle.

"Alrighty then," Katy mumbled and turned to the washroom hesitantly.

The only thing in the washroom was another glowing pool, although this one was lacking in fish and plants thankfully. She quickly threw off her boots and undressed before sliding into the pool of lukewarm water. She made a face at the temperature but nonetheless washed up to the best of her abilities. It would have been nice to have a loofa or a sponge, but she found nothing, and did her best with the scrubby brush she had been given. She scrubbed at her scalp and swam about in the pool leisurely, content to take her time. She took roughly forty minutes in the pool before climbing out and wrapping herself in the soft towel that had been provided before drying off and pulling on the turquoise dress that had traveled with her from Rivendell. Once dressed she dried off her hair and marveled at the bit of length it had gained since she had last had it cut before lifting the circlet from her bag and once again admiring it in the flickering candle light. She slipped it on and pulled a few strands of hair over it to hide all but what rested on her forehead.

While she waited for the next hour to pass she went about doing inventory of her bags. She still had a change of clothes, her boots and cloak, another dagger she had stuffed into her bag, and a water skin now empty. Her wallet was in there, though she didn't need it, it still held several pictures of her family that she held dear. She sighed and pulled out a pair of soft brown leather flats provided to her by Erestor who always wanted her to make the best impression. She snorted. The king had already seen her sweaty, bloody, and covered in mud and she doubted anything could fix that blunder. Although he had requested their presence at once so it was hardly her fault.

When her hair had curled nicely and she had finished fiddling with her bags there came a knock at her door.

"Come in," she called.

The door swung open and the twins peered into her room curiously and smiled at the sight of her. They too were wearing circlets and had traded their traveling clothes for fresh robes in deep maroon for Elladan and a dark purple for Elrohir. Katy returned their smiles.

"Are you ready?" Elladan stepped into the room and gave her outfit a once over, his eyes lingering on the circlet on her forehead before turning away.

"Let's go," she said.

The three made their way down the halls, speaking quietly amongst themselves, and greeted everyone they passed with a smile.

"You know, I normally would not comment on this but, Katy, you are looking almost sickeningly frail," Elrohir observed blandly. He did not look at her as he spoke and instead smiled at a passing guard.

"We'll, I haven't had any meat in four years, can you blame me? I hardly get any fat or protein," she muttered darkly, looking down at herself curiously. She was kind of bony.

"Quit whining," Elladan scowled at her playfully.

"I miss bacon and hamburgers," she leaned into Elladan piteously and looked up at him with a pout.

"Don't do that," he laughed and pushed her away.

Elrohir sighed.

They arrived at a set of large double doors guarded on each side by elves in light armor and swords at their hips. Upon sighting them the guards simultaneously moved to push the doors open to allow them entrance. The room they stepped into was small in comparison to the throne room, but it was large and contained a few chairs, a fire place, and a large dining table big enough for ten. Obviously this was his more private dining room, Katy observed. She paused, finding that she was not quite sure what to do with herself but found that an elf wearing a simple tunic and breaches appeared and guided her to a seat. The twins were seated across from her and she let out a nervous little sigh that not even the elves could hear. Her eyes roamed about the room, taking in the bookshelves filled with old tombs, and the tapestries that hung on the walls. It really was a cozy room, though elegant, she found herself feeling comfortable and not too out in the open.

Next to enter was a new elf that Katy had not seen before, he wore a deep green colored tunic under light armor and his hair was blond and braided behind his ears just enough to keep it out of his face. He paused, took in the three at the table, before moving to take the seat next to Katy, closest to the head.

"I did not know that you had arrived, Elladan, Elrohir," the elf spoke in a light tone.

"I have no doubt," Elrohir responded, "You were probably out in the wilds again, running about like a squirrel chasing spiders."

The new elf smirked, "You know me to well." He turned to face Katy with a tight smile, "And you are, my Lady?"

"Katelyn Jones," she answered with her own tight smile. She could hear Elladan chuckling from the other side of the table but she refused to react to him and instead focused her attention on the one next to her, "And you?"

"Legolas Greenleaf," he answered automatically.

"And my son, though he would wish anything but," spoke the King as he came gliding into the room from another doorway. They all stood as he approached the table, as was polite, and sat after he had done so.

"Prince Legolas Greenleaf," Katy corrected with a smirk. "I'm sure it was only a slip of the mind," she turned her cheeky grin onto the elf next to her who only sighed and looked away. Uh oh, she thought, touchy subject though I don't really blame him. Am I overstepping my boundaries? Those two don't look worried. She glanced over at the twins who both wore content looks on their faces.

"A slip that has lasted far too long," the king added darkly. "But that is not why we are gathered here. Lady Jones, why do you not tell us of your adventures? What is your time like?" He switched subjects so quickly that Katy's mind went blank for a few seconds. Thranduil watched her expectantly.

"Well," she began, "It's a lot different."

Elladan snorted.

"I mean there are only men in the future," she began slowly, "we've built buildings that scrape the skies and vehicles that are powered by natural oils, we've populated the entire Earth and sent vessels into the stars." She kind of zoned, lost in thought of her home as she spoke.

Thranduil himself was transfixed by her words. He was dimly aware of the others at the table leaning forward in earnest, wanting to hear more, but he paid them no attention. He lent back in his high backed chair and threw one leg over the other to listen in comfort.

"We have done so much and yet we have fallen into a sort of life style that would seem laughable to you. I woke up in the morning, went to school, went to work, went home and watched TV, then woke up and did it all over again. My life was never in danger, there were never any threats of a great darkness, we grew fat and lazy in our own stupidity. There was no need to go out of our way for anything because all could be provided. Nothing extraordinary ever happened." She looked down at the salad that was placed in front of her and wished to all the world that she could have a burger or a hotdog or any other classic American food. How conflicted she was. "There is no magic in the world anymore, it is simply rotting away, till one day we will be forced to leave but after learning as much as I have I fear that we will only die out. The only thing that will be left is a wasted planet, barren of anything living, and we will be to blame for it." She sighed. "So I must fix it," she finished and stabbed at a grape tomato with her fork resolutely.

"I can understand then why the peacefulness of Rivendell does not suit you. You have had quite enough peace it would seem, and wish more from the world," Thranduil observed. "You even refuse to dress in their fashion." He eyed her rather plain dress with a lifted chin.

Katy looked down at her dress absently, "I don't like all the elegant beading and fancy fabric."

"No?" Thranduil quirked a brow.

"Besides, this is my favorite dress, and doesn't that have more meaning to you despite its lack of ornateness?" She smoothed out her skirt lovingly and turned to look at the king whose lips quirked into a smirk before he looked away and changed the subject.

"So Lord Elrond wishes for my people and I to make an appearance at this year's summer festival?" he pinned the twins with an inquisitive and slightly haughty expression that Katy had remembered her mother using once or twice. It normally involved one of the kids being in trouble and her at the receiving end of a lecture from another adult. She would not stand to have her or her children talked down to and had pulled that look out of the bag on more than one occasion.

"He feels that it is a tradition that should never have been put to rest and that a gesture of friendship is long overdue on his part and wishes invite you to his home to remedy that," Elrohir responded dutifully.

Elladan made a face at Katy, poking fun at Elrohir's stuffy attitude, causing her to snort. Legolas gave her a disapproving look which caused Elladan to chuckle.

"I see you have yet to mature, Elladan, such a pity," Thranduil commented dryly.

"My apologies." Elladan had the common decency to look shame faced.

Thranduil let out a soft sigh and next to her Katy felt Legolas relax for the first time since he entered the room. "The world would be a dark place if at least some of us did not remain joyful and childish I suppose," he smiled tightly at the twins who returned the expression in kind.

Suddenly, Katy felt like she was intruding on a private moment laden with emotion and history. Her eyes dropped to the salad in front of her and she fiddled with her fork thoughtfully. Moments like this happened every once in a while, even in Rivendell, and they often made her wish for her home and family so that she could share similar moments and inside jokes with them. She let out her own sigh and Legolas looked down at her curiously before turning to the twins.

"So, how did Lady Jones come to be in Rivendell?" he asked, partly out of curiosity and partly to humor the woman.

"She walked into our father's study like she owned the place," Elladan explained.

"I did not. I was lost." she muttered back.

"Lost, Katelyn Jones, is something you never are. You may be confused at times but I find that you are always exactly where you should be."

All eyes turned to the door to find the very familiar figure of Gandalf standing there looking as if he had traveled a long way. His robes were covered in dust and his face smudged with dirt and there was a good deal of frizz to his beard but they could all see the smile behind it all.

Strange, she thought, Elrond had said that Gandalf had wanted to wait to introduce me to Thranduil. He must be covering his ass. She hid her smile behind her goblet of wine and thought on the subject no more.

Katy did not realize how closely to home she had hit her mark. Gandalf arrived in Rivendell not an hour after they had departed and upon hearing of their journey to Mirkwood had left in haste to cover up any damages she could do between the elven domains and their leaders. He was only glad to arrive in time before any serious blunders could be made.

The wizard gave her a look before sitting down without invitation. An elf filled a goblet for him and he smiled at the server appreciatively. All the others present at the table fell silent and watched gob smacked as he made himself at home.

"Mithrandir," Thranduil began, "To what do we owe the pleasure?" He sighed and once again leaned back in his chair, though this time it appeared more out of annoyance than intrigue.

"Oh, don't mind me, I am simply just checking in on our charming Katelyn, she tends to get into trouble," Gandalf waved the elvenking away.

She was beginning to sense that the two had history and it did not seem to be all that positive.

Katy quirked a brow, inside feeling nothing but indignation, but held her tongue. It would do no good to argue in the presence of the king and create a scene. She took a sip of her wine and returned her attention to her food, studiously ignoring every male at the table and instead turned her thoughts inward. It seemed even though she was an adult she still had parental figures watching her every move. In all reality she should have taken it as a blessing knowing that someone was always ready to lend her a guiding hand, but at what cost? She did not know where she stood in Middle Earth, to its people, or even with her very friends. What was her purpose for being there? Her frustrations only mounted over time.

"I have begun to take notice," Thranduil noted dryly.

Katy was glad her wine was not given to her in a glass because she was positive it would have shattered in her grip at that moment. They were talking about her as if she wasn't even there!

"Lady Jones, would you be interested in a tour?" Legolas turned to her, irritation written in his posture.

Oh you sweet child, she thought, "I would."

The two made their escape while the wizard and the king exchanged pleasantries. The twins watched the two longingly, wishing they too could escape from the tense atmosphere that had suddenly fallen over the table. Legolas led her out of the room, a guiding hand on her back, and spared his father only the most fleeting of looks.

Katy soon realized that Legolas had no intention of actually taking her on a tour, he had used her as an excuse to escape his father's presence, but she found that she really did not mind. She too had been growing frustrated in that room and was thankful for the chance to leave. The blond elf had given her a tight smirk and a quick bow before leaving her to her own devices. He had had the sense of decency to lead her to her room at least. A good thing too because she was sorely in need of a nap.

The fire place in her room had been lit and she climbed into the bed after pulling off her dress and snuggling under the covers. She stared at the flickering flames tiredly. She did her best to put thoughts of the king and Gandalf far from her mind, in fact, she tried to put all of Middle Earth out of her mind so frustrated was she with her situation.

When Katy next opened her eyes she found that she was sitting in a lawn chair. There was a fire pit in front of her, lit and roaring with life, and the sky above was dark with night. She heard laughter off to her right and glanced up, seeing nothing but familiar faces around her, her family. Behind her there was a whining sound a pop and an explosion. Fireworks? Oh! It was the fourth of July and her family was camped out in the back field barbequing. Her dad probably had the grill set up right behind her, she turned to look and indeed the man was behind flipping burgers. She ignored the twinge of pain an =d longing and smiled at her father sweetly.

"Katy Kat! Pick me up!"

She looked down at a four year old Emma, curling her lifted fingers in that familiar way and laughed. "Alright," she said and lifted the girl into her lap, happy to have her little niece back.

"Katy, did you get a hotdog yet?" Judy spoke from just behind her.

"Not yet," Katy answered just as she did that night six or so years ago.

"Well hurry up before your brother eats them all," Judy advised.

"Good idea," she laughed.

She relived that fourth of July as clearly as if it was happening for the first time and for that night she did not think of Middle Earth or the coming war or even of the twins. She had only the mind to enjoy her family and good food. She found herself feeling nostalgic and battling back tears and wanting to tell them all everything that had happened since she had left them but the only words that would come out of her mouth were the ones she had originally spoken that night. She eventually gave up and just basked in the life like memory as best she could.

"Katy Kat!"

Katy's eyes popped open. She was still in her room and the fire had long since gone out, she guessed it was early the next morning, and the room was lit by the glowing pond and candles once more. She rolled over and pulled the covers over her head, wishing that she could go back to sleep and continue her dream, and let out a heavy sigh.

"Katy Kat!"

Katy's eyes flew open once again and she turned over in bed, she searched the room with her eyes and froze when she spotted a little girl crouched by the pond giggling and splashing about in the water.

"Look at the fishies!" she cried and turned to face Katy happily.

"Emma?" Katy blinked, her brain refusing to comprehend what was right in front of her.

"Why are you still sleeping, mommy says you sleep a lot," Emma questioned and scampered over to the bed, peeking up at the woman curiously. She was wearing the same shorts and red shirt that she had been wearing that Fourth of July and she was still only four! Emma should be about eleven by now, she thought.

Katy did not think to correct the little girl and explain that she did not, actually, sleep a lot. She rarely got any at all honestly. Instead she slowly sat up, pushing the covers off of her and throwing her legs over the side of the bed. Tears sprung to her eyes at the sight of the innocent little girl from her memories peeking at her curiously over the edge of the bed, waiting for her to get up as if they were in Judy's house on Christmas morning. This was the little Emma that she knew. She did not know what the ten year old Emma was like, though she was sure she was still just as sweet, she did not know what she had gone through and experienced over the past four years. But this little girl was the one who had woken her up that Christmas morning so long ago before all the mess with Middle Earth had started.

She slid to the ground on her knees and pulled the little girl into her arms, "My little Emma, what have I done?" She ran her fingers through the little girl's curly mop of blond hair and let out a shaky breath.

"What's the matter Aunt Katy?" Emma asked. She had wrapped her little arms around her neck, never one to pass up a hug, and had yet to let go sensing that her aunt was upset.

Katy tried to stifle the sob that she felt working its way up her throat but she could not stop the tears that were spilling over her cheeks. Oh how she had missed this sweet little girl and the realization that she had loved every member of her family so much was brought into full perspective by the amount of emotions she was feeling. She missed everyone and it hurt so much.

"I'm sorry," Katy cried.

Little Emma did not let go of her aunt and she didn't say anything when she started to rock back and forth, she even kept quiet when she saw the door open over her aunt's shoulder. A man with a pointy hat stepped into the room and upon seeing them quickly made for the bed and pulled the covers off to drape them over Katy's shoulders. The woman was dressed only in her undergarments, sobbing on the floor, and clutching an unfamiliar child to her chest leaving the man to piece together what had happened on his own.

"Aunt Katy, how come Dumbledore is here?" Emma voiced her thoughts.

"Who?" Katy asked and turned to glance up at Gandalf before letting out a shaky and wet laugh. "Oh, that's Gandalf." She wiped at her face having let go of Emma and pulled the blankets tighter.

Emma mouthed an 'Oh' before letting out a giggle, "Katy Kat, you're only wearing panties." She hid her giggles behind her hands and blushed.

"I hadn't noticed," she answered with as much sarcasm as she could manage. It wasn't completely true, she had on a bra and camisole that she had worn under her dress, but she could only imagine how much of a show it was to the people of Middle Earth. She blushed and turned to look at Gandalf who was determinedly not looking in her direction.

"Why don't you get yourself dressed and I will meet you in the dining room for some breakfast and to discuss the recent events," the wizard offered while heading towards the door.

Katy ignored his chuckle and wiped at her eyes one more time before standing, clasping the blanket around her, until Gandalf had safely left the room. She gave Emma a funny face before rummaging through her bags and pulling out a freshly cleaned pair of jeans and a sweater. She felt that it would have been more appropriate to wear her dress again because she doubted the king would very much appreciate her waltzing about in skin tight denim jeans but she figured she wouldn't be running into him again so soon. She adjusted her black sweater before picking Emma up and placing her on her hip.

"Are you hungry?" she asked her as she made her way out of her room.

"Yeah," Emma answered absently, taking in her surroundings. "Where are we?"

"This is a fairy tale kingdom," Katy answered. She slowly progressed through the hallways, letting her eyes trail over the elegant carvings and torches that lined the walls. "Elves live here."

"Like Santa's Elves?" Emma asked wondrously.

"Not really, they're all tall and pretty with long hair," Katy struggled to explain them to the four year old.

"Like vampires?"

"No," Katy laughed. "I guess you'll just have to meet some."

"Could I be of service?"

Katy turned to see Elrohir approaching from another hall, he was wearing a kind smile and he seemed a bit excited to be meeting a part of Katy's family, if the way his eyes glimmered with mischief was anything to go by. He crouched down to get a good look at Emma who was watching him with big brown eyes. She reached out a hand and grabbed a handful of his hair, feeling it slide between her fingers and marveling at its softness, next she touched his ears. Elrohir waited patiently for her to finish her investigation before standing and ruffling her hair.

"He's so pretty," Emma whispered to Katy who smiled down at her.

"He is, isn't he? I told you," Katy said.

Elrohir gestured for her to walk on ahead of him and she did so, he following behind, intent on finding himself some breakfast as well.

"But you are too Katy Kat, look," she pulled on her long red curls. "Your hair is so shiny and your ears are pointy too."

"No they're not," Katy laughed.

"Are too," Emma shot back but by then they had entered the dining room and found Gandalf conversing with the elven king himself, Thranduil. Rather than make an idiot of herself and back out of the room, for she had already been spotted by Gandalf, she straightened her shoulders and marched over to the seat across from the wizard. She allowed Emma to climb into the seat next to her and get situated before glancing at the others at the table. It was the same group as the night before, though Legolas was not present, Elladan had already been seated when they arrived. There was a layout of fruits, breads, butters, and cheese set up on the table in buffet style and she noted that some already had food on their plates. She filled Emma's plate with a slice of honey bread and butter as well as several strawberries and a slice of cheese.

"And who is this come to join us for breakfast?"

Katy froze. Uh oh. She had not quite got a read on the King and she was not able to tell if he was truly curious or if he was angered. But when she looked up there was a twinkle in Gandalf's eye and the twins were smiling kindly.

"This is my niece, Emma." She introduced. "Emma, this is King Thranduil," she had grabbed the girls attention away from her bread and upon hearing that she was sitting in the presence of a king she pushed herself out of her seat and did a clumsy little curtsy before climbing back into her chair.

"I've never met a king before," Emma exclaimed as she struggled into her chair again.

"Nor have I had the pleasure of meeting such a young little lady in so little clothing," Thranduil replied eloquently.

Emma shrugged, "Mommy said the same thing about Uncle Aaron's girlfriend."

Katy choked on her water and set the goblet down, appalled. Thranduil only laughed.

"I'm sorry," Katy exclaimed in embarrassment, rubbing her eyes.

"It is quite alright, I understand that you come from a very different culture, but do humor me, do all women wear so little in your time?" Thranduil asked. He had thrown one leg over the other and clasped his hands together, elbows on the armrests of his chair.

"In my country they usually do, it depends on their personal style, but I have known a few who wore less. It's not really a big deal anymore," she explained with a nervous laugh.

The king's eyebrows lifted in surprise and Gandalf chuckled, "You should have seen Katelyn herself the first few times she had stepped into Rivendell, what was it you were wearing that day Elladan walked in on you? You called it something special."

"A bathing suit," Katy deadpanned.

"You walked in on her a lot, did you not Elladan?" Elrohir turned to his brother with a curious look.

"I did not!" Elladan snapped and ignored the heat he felt beginning in his cheeks.

"Daddy won't let me wear bathing suits like Katy Kat, he says they're too promiskews," Emma pointed out. She was having fun with these strange people and she liked to use the words she heard her daddy say to sound smart.

"Promiscuous," Katy corrected thoughtlessly, then paused and slapped her hand on the table, "that fudging little piece of . . .when did he say that?" She turned her glare onto the four year old girl who was covering her mouth and giggling.

"When we had my pool party," she answered dutifully.

"Yes, that was the day Lord Elrond put his foot down if I do recall," Gandalf continued. "He claimed that she dressed like a child raised in the wilds and would have no more of it."

"At least I never intentionally paraded about indecently on purpose," Katy muttered.

"You had little control over when you arrived?" Thranduil questioned. He was watching her with a puzzled expression. He had ignored the majority of the conversation finding it distasteful and boorish but his ears did pick up the frustrated tone in Katy's voice.

"No, she did not," Gandalf answered for her. "Emma here is an example of that. When Katelyn first showed up I believe she had been looking for the lavatory and instead wound up in Elrond's study." Gandalf narrowed his eyes at her thoughtfully, "Were you thinking of anything else that moment?"

Katy looked at him sightlessly, thinking back to that day seven years ago, and trying to recall what had happened. That had been her first day of classes that semester and she had gone out to lunch with Cassie, they had been talking about boys, and – oh! "Yes, I was thinking I wanted to get away from my friend Cassie because she was freaking out over cute guys in her class," she cried.

"What is wrong with 'cute' guys?" Elladan asked.

"Nothing, it's just that she was always pressuring me to date and I was never interested in being with someone. That's a can of worms we will not be opening today," she glowered at the twin who smartly bit his tongue.

"And what were you thinking of when Emma showed up?" Gandalf asked.

Katy did not answer right away, she looked down at the little girl who was watching her questioningly. "I was thinking that I did not know why I was in middle Earth. I was wishing to go back like nothing had ever changed. I wanted to go home." She recalled her dream and let out a sigh.

"Why not just visit them then rather than torture yourself as you seem to have been," Elrohir spoke but did not look at her, instead he took a bite out of his bread.

"I have not been torturing myself," Katy muttered.

Emma chewed on a strawberry.

"Regardless, Why do you not take the time to visit your family for a week and then return to Rivendell. Save yourself the trouble of traveling all the way back with us," Gandalf advised.

"I'll take Emma back but my family can wait, I would feel bad about introducing myself to the king and then just ditching and leaving him with nothing but you three to play the guides," Katy smiled charmingly and popped a strawberry into her mouth. She had not intention of returning to her old life until Middle Earth, and the future, had been straightened out.

"I have not yet agreed to attend the summer festival," Thranduil reminded, his eyes had yet to move from a dark spot of wood on the table where they had wondered while he was in thought.

"You haven't?" Katy asked, sounding confused, "I could have sworn you did…well, are you coming?" she asked.

Thranduil stared at her with a blank expression. He had never been asked in such a blasé tone if he were attending an event and, though he did not realize at the time, he had never been asked in such a blasé tone for anything before. His thoughts at the time, however, were turned more towards a serious matter. Could he afford to leave his people? They had been fighting back the growing darkness for so long that he worried. They had been beating back spiders and goblins for centuries now. Would they be alright without his presence for a few weeks? He turned his eyes to the fire place thoughtfully. Of course they would, they had become so adept at defending their home that he himself had not had to set foot into the woods with any more intention than to visit neighboring elven villages for political reasons.

"I suppose so," he answered dispassionately.

Katy could not fight the smiled that split her face, "Excellent." She looked down at her plate, finding all her strawberries missing, and turned to look at a smiling Emma suspiciously, "Rude," she admonished.

Across from her Gandalf smiled satisfactorily.

Sending Emma home was harder than Katy thought it would have been. The little girl had babbled away as they left the dining room and when they had made it back to her room they had sat and talked for a while. She was reluctant to send her niece away so soon after finding her again. Emma was too busy playing with the fish to notice the tears building in her aunt's eyes.

Katy would have loved to return home with her niece, to see her father again, alive and well. She missed him so much that it threatened to overwhelm her completely. He had been there at the Fourth of July laughing and having fun like he had on some many other occasions.

"Alright Emma, time to go back," Katy announced shortly after, not wanting to prolong her suffering any longer.

Emma glanced up and pouted, "If you promise to bring me back here someday."

"I make no promises," she stated, "but I will try."

She stood and moved over to her washroom door, gesturing for the little girl to follow her. Once she had stopped in front of her aunt, Katy had crouched down to look her in the eye. She took in her blond curls and big brown eyes one last time before looking away.

"Don't say anything at all about what happened," she instructed as she pulled the door open.

On the other side was a small room with glassless windows and child sized furniture. It was dark and dusty and smelled of dirt and wood. It was their old treehouse.

"Okay," Emma nodded resolutely and scampered through the door way. She turned back to waive at Katy one last time before exiting the tree house.

Emma popped through the tree house door into Judy's backyard and had waddled her way down the ladder to join the family once more where she spotted the Katy of that time and gave her a strange look before giving her a hug. Later, when her parents asked her if she was hungry, she only shook her head and giggled.

Katy did her best to shake the melancholy mood that she had fallen into and decided to explore Mirkwood as much as she could, she never knew when or if she would be back after all. She got into a lot of trouble that day, she stuck her nose in many rooms where it obviously didn't belong but she found she was having too much fun to care about the annoyed looks the Mirkwood elves kept sending her. When she had finally made it outside she was delighted to find that it was set up like any town, with buildings (or flets) lining pathways, each containing a store or shop specializing in something. She found a bakery, a craftsman, and eventually a blacksmith.

Once she had had her fill of walking she wondered into the last building within her sight and found that it was the blacksmiths. Smoke poured out from the back and the front door was thrown wide open in welcome. She stepped through the doorway and into the sunlit room curiously. There were many weapons on display and she was drawn in by their beauty and delicate craftsmanship.

She lifted a dagger, watching it glint in the sunlight spilling through the window, when she heard someone clear their throat. She nearly dropped the blade and fumbled to put it down before turning to see who had caught her.

A tall broad shouldered fellow with long dark hair spilling over his shoulders stood at the other end of the room, his arms crossed and a brow raised.

"What can I help you with?" he asked suspiciously. "You're a little young to be looking at weapons, have you even reached your majority yet?"

Rude! She shouted in her mind but bit her tongue and laughed, "I'm not an elf, I'm actually pretty old for my race."

"Right," he sighed and turned away.

"Wait!" she called after him. "I was hoping you could set me up with a bow." She had just spotted a lovely little thing resting in the corner and found her eyes drawn to it. She had left hers back in Rivendell and Glorfindel had said it was more for practice than anything else anyways.

"Do you have money?" he questioned.

This guy, she snorted and placed a hand on her hip. Luckily she had done a lot of work in Rivendell and had quite a bit of coins stored away. "Yes, I have plenty."

"Alright, alright," he lifted his hands and his stern expression broke into a grin.

Katy practically skipped back to the King's Halls, bow and quiver in hand, and a victorious grin in place. A little shopping would cheer any girl up, she thought. She slowed to a stop as she entered the main hall and threw her new bow over her shoulder to free up her hands.

It was on her way back to her room to drop off her new prizes that she came across the library. Its doors were cracked open and inside she could see a fire going in the fire place. Deciding that it would be nice to sit and read by a fire she had pushed her way in and sat her stuff down by the fire place. She scanned the shelves of bookcases before lifting one from its place, a book of myths and legends, and returning to the fire where she laid out on the floor to enjoy her find.

Mirkwood wasn't such a bad place, she admitted endearingly. It was more lively and realistic than Rivendell was. There were people ranging in personalities and characteristics, there were shops and bakeries, and to top it all off there were monsters skulking about just outside the boundaries. She loved Rivendell because it had been her home for the past four odd years, but Mirkwood was new and exciting. She relished in the ability to sit and read without having to worry about Estel or whether or not an elf would find her and ask her for her assistance. She felt a little guilty at that thought but let it go, everyone needed a break every once in a while.

"There are chairs," Thranduil spoke from a few isles over.

Katy looked up, surprised and a little bit nervous. She had not realized that the king himself had been in the library, if she had she would never have bothered entering, and now she found herself alone with his intimidating presence. She dropped her gaze to the ground and mumbled something along the lines of "I didn't really think about it, the rug looked nice." She realized that sounded rather lame but in all honesty she really had no reasoning for why she chose to sit on the floor, there was an armchair right next to her.

The King slid a book back into place on the shelf before pausing to give her a strange look. He moved towards her, his long green silken robes trailing behind him as he did, and stopped not two feet away from her. He still wore that strange and suspicious expression as he looked down at her. "Will you not tell me your purpose for being here?" he asked. His presence seemed all the more threatening.

Katy let out a heavy sigh, "I don't really know why I'm here, in all honesty." She looked down at the book on the floor in front of her absently. "I know a lot about what is to come in the future of Middle Earth but I don't really know what my part to play is, if there even is one at all," she admitted. She fiddled with the pages of the aged book and looked up at the elven king guilt ridden, "I'm sorry."

There must have been enough sincerity in her explanation to sway the king in her favor, or so it seemed, because he moved to sit on the armchair beside her. His long fingers gripped the armrests in thought while he studied her coldly.

Katy did not like the look he gave her and while she knew he was just being calculating and logical, pondering on what her existence meant, it still unnerved her. She knew that he was unsure of whether to trust her or not, he could not decide if she was a threat to his people, whom he loved dearly.

"If you were simply just a human I would not be so concerned," he began and leaned forward to scrutinize her, "but look at what that ring has done to you."

"What do you mean?" she asked, a bubble of panic blossoming in her stomach.

"Have you not looked at yourself in a mirror recently?" he asked, eyebrows raised. He was taking delight in the panic written across her face.

"Not in a few years," she admitted sheepishly and sat up, afraid and a bit curious.

"You should," he advised and reached out a hand to push her hair back behind one ear, "You have the most curious of features materializing." He turned her face towards the fire to get a better look and hummed.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!"

Luckily she had politely excused herself from the presence of the king and had run to find a mirror. She had at first not known where to look but had then decided on asking Elladan, the elf loved himself way too much to not have a mirror on hand.

Now Katy sat on the floor of his room staring at her ears.

"Must you really . . ." Elladan winced at her language and turned away to look out his prized window. "Honestly we assumed you knew."

"What kind of a . . .ugh!" She lifted a hand and pinched the tip of her very elf like ears with a groan, "This has turned out to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day!"

"Must you be so dramatic?" Elladan questioned and snatched the mirror from her hands.

"You have no room to talk to me about dramatics," she snapped. "God it's one thing after another," she threw her hands up in the air and let out another groan before covering her face. "Somewhere someone is laughing at me," she muttered through her fingers.

"Do not be so down, the person laughing at you is right here," Elladan chuckled. "It is not so bad, look how cute your ears are, at least they do not stick out like Aron's." He pulled at her ears playfully and she smacked his hands away.

She huffed and appeared to wilt on the spot, so confused and distraught by her situation, she wasn't even human anymore. Where did she belong now?

Katy spent the rest of the day moping in her room, sometimes she played with the fish, trailing her fingers through the water and watching them follow and sometimes she read some of the books that she had pilfered from Thranduil's library. In between these two she took the chance to bathe in the washroom again and napped. Her thoughts were turned inward and she paid little attention to the time. When there was a knock on her door she discovered it to be Lythia with a tray of food for her. She had accepted gratefully and watched the ellyth leave sadly before returning to her thoughts. The next time someone knocked on her door it was Elrohir. He had peeked in before moving fully into the room and shutting the door behind him.

"I though you should know that we decided it would be best to leave tomorrow morning," he explained and took a seat at the small desk in the corner.

Katy looked up from her perch by the pond and blanched, "We've only been here for two days!"

"Well, it should have only taken us five to get her but instead it took us eight, tomorrow will make it three days since we arrived, and the journey back will take an extra two because we will be traveling with a larger group," he said.

Katy sighed but nodded.

Thus, the next morning found Katy dressed in her tunic, jeans, and cloak sitting astride a dark mare waiting patiently for the elves to say their farewell. They would be taking ten Mirkwood elves with them, not including the king and his son, and they would be traveling at a much slower pace as Elrohir had said. While elves could ride harder and faster than any man could, it was a joyous and peaceful festival that they were going to and so did not wish to arrive dirty and tired from a hard weeks travel. Katy had shrugged, finding herself rather apathetic that day, and had watched them say goodbye to their families.

Thranduil stood watch over the happenings from atop his grand elk, quietly observing his people, and smiling when those who would not be going wished him a fare journey. Mithrandir sat next to him astride a brown horse, waiting patiently and often muttering something to the king who only nodded, never removing his eyes from his people.

When they finally got on their way it was Legolas who was in the lead, watchful eyes ever searching for danger, or straying to the ellyth at his side. She was rather pretty, Katy thought, then wanted to smack herself in the forehead for of course she was pretty, she was an elf. The ellyth had long red hair that she found herself jealous of. She would never have the patience to grow out her hair like that. Did elves even cut their hair? She doubted it.

There was not much to tell about their journey back to Rivendell, only that it was filled with much laughter and singing, and Katy found herself joining. Sometimes, she even sang songs from her time, though she was mindful of which ones she chose. She didn't need to go offending any prudish elves or wizards. Though she suspected Gandalf wasn't as prudish as he pretended to be.

They did not fear passing through the mountains this time, the elven king himself was amongst them and the goblins would not dare to attack him.

Thranduil rode in the back of the group, Mithrandir at his side, and it seemed they were always talking quietly amongst themselves.

One day, late in the evening after they had finally left Mirkwood behind, Katy had opened her mouth and said "So why is Legolas so broody?"

Elladan, who was at her side at the time, winced. "I do not pretend to know what goes on between a father and son," he began somberly, "but Legolas is in love with that Ellyth next to him, they have been friends since they were children, but I fear she does not return his love in the same way."

"What?" Katy scowled at him, thinking that the two had nothing to do with each other and that Elladan was pulling her leg. "So he's pissy because the chick he likes doesn't like him back?"

"You have this strange way of belittling every situation," Elladan looked at her strangely and shook his head.

"Thank you, it's my specialty," she responded dryly and said no more.

The rest of the journey was spent in pleasant friendliness, even Thranduil seemed less severe, happy to see that everyone was enjoying themselves. Katy had stolen Elrohir's little instrument that she had dubbed a round ukulele and offended him by ignoring the correct name for it and spent the nights strumming away at it, happy to have strings between her fingers again. A bow string just wasn't the same.

When they finally came within sight of Rivendell they were greeted by several elves who, laughing, ran around them and led them to the main entrance. Katy was happy to see so many familiar faces. She could not deny the sense of relief that came with finally arriving home. She breathed in the familiar crisp air and dismounted as soon as they had reached the main steps to the last homely house.

Elrond stood waiting, his arms outstretched in welcome, and had a ready smile for all those who dismounted. Gandalf gave him a rather stern look before sliding off of his horse and making his way towards the elven lord but Katy had beat the wizard to him. She threw her arms around Elrond and squeezed with all her might.

"Welcome back little one," he whispered and ruffled her curls affectionately. "I knew you could do it."

Katy did not have time to ponder over what he meant because as soon as she had let go the Twins had taken her place, and soon it was Thranduil himself who stood before Elrond. It was strange to see them together the king in his summer crown of branches and flowers and Elrond with nothing but his robes still somehow looking just as regal. It was in the way they held themselves, she realized, squared shouldered and always looking straight ahead. Nevertheless, it was like the meeting of two great otherworldly beings that had, long ago, been the greatest of friends. But something had broken that, she thought, because the way they presented themselves to each other was almost unsure and she felt her heart breaking a little to witness it. There was so much held between them, so much hidden emotion and so many memories, that when Elrond held out his hand to the king she found herself holding her breath. Thranduil held the lord's gaze for some time before he looked down at his offered hand and took his forearm with a firm grasp and smiled. Elrond smiled back and rested a hand on his shoulder, guiding him up the steps into his home to prepare for the coming festival.

No one moved as the two climbed the steps, talking to each other as only friends could, and watched in awe as the two great leaders, with their robes trailing behind them, acted as if there had never been any strife between them.

Gandalf stepped up beside Katy and patted her shoulder appreciatively, "You have no idea what you have just done." He chuckled and made after the two, his staff clacking against every step as he climbed.

Katy was befuddled.

Apparently there had been some drama between the realms that she had not been aware of.

The summer festival was to happen in two days and no matter how Katy avoided the disapproving stares of all the ellyth in Rivendell, she knew she would have to wear a dress. She had figured she would just wear her turquoise one but her dear friend Elleniya would have none of it. She had taken her measurements again and had disappeared in a flurry of irritable muttering that astounded Katy and left her feeling confused.

There was a lot of hustle and bustle in the next two days and she had found herself doing her best to avoid it all. She had instead found Estel and reported all of her adventures to him, filling him in on all the crazy mishaps and slip ups she had been at the root of and then showed him her new bow. She practiced with it a lot over the two days and when Elleniya next found her she was dirty and sweaty, and covered in grass and leaves. She had ordered her to bathe before allowing her to see the dress she had pulled together for her.

They stood in her room where Elleniya had laid out the gown on her bed for her to see and Katy had to admit, it was worthy of a fairy tale. So much so, that it actually brought a few tears to her eyes. This was an elegant gown made of a white sheer fabric that draped in such a way as to appear elegant and ethereal. It had some many layers and a long train and the sleeves themselves were cut at the shoulders to hang down at her sides like wings. When she pulled it on over her head, heedless of the fact that her hair was still wet, she had felt like nothing in the world would ever fit her so well.

She had hugged Elleniya that day and had said thank you so many times that the ellyth had laughed.

"Wear it and be beautiful," she had responded and left the room.

This was a dress that needed no jewelry, nor shoes, nor belts. She could not imagine someone such as herself wearing it.

The day the summer festival had started, they had waited until late afternoon to begin the festivities. The sun had just begun to sink over the horizon, casting pinks and oranges across the sky until it ended in a deep purple that would soon turn to midnight blue. Katy had sat on her balcony in her gown, admiring the sky and feeling like something eternal and ethereal was about to take place for the elves had been singing since morning of great things that were so old not even she could understand. She felt both excited and melancholy, as elvish signing always tended to make her feel, and she had been about to leave her room when there was a knock on her door.

"Come in," she said.

She had only just stood when Elrond had opened her door and stepped in. He paused to take her in and smiled sadly in that fatherly way fathers have. "You look breathtaking," he said quietly.

"I feel it," Katy answered with a blush and a chuckle. Tears had started to spill from her eyes and she wiped at them helplessly, "I don't understand. I'm sorry. I've been like this all day."

"It is alright. It is the song," he answered. "It is both a mourning song and a hope for the future to come and to one day return home. It often awakens similar feelings in those who hear it and I suspect you may be taking it more to heart than others would." He moved over to her and took her hands in his. "I came here to tell you that, though you are not even of this time, that this will always be a home to you"

"Did Gandalf tell you what happened?" she asked with a wet chuckle.

Elrond smirked, "He may have mentioned something to me, but I would have told you anyways, you are like a daughter to me after all." He marveled at the fact that even as her heart wept, caught up in emotions brought on by the deep song filtering in through her open balcony, she still managed to laugh. What a beautiful thing it was. He let go of her hands, moving over to her dresser where the silver circlet he had made for her rested, and lifted it into his hands gently. "This is a gift from me to you," he spoke as he raised it and placed it over her curls. "Though it may seem like a simple piece of jewelry to some, know that it holds much more significance among us." He offered her his arm and she took it, stunned by his words and their hidden meaning, before allowing herself to be led out into the hall. There was no one within the house at that point for all had gathered out in the gardens, ready to celebrate the ending of spring and the coming of summer and, above all, hope.

Katelyn walked barefoot, for she had refused to stain the dress with her travel worn boots, and marveled at the cool stone beneath her feet. Her mind was in a fog and she did not pay attention as they walked down the steps and into the crowd of gathered elves who turned to watch their approach.

What is this? She thought. What was this feeling of wholeness and love that she felt washing over her the deeper into the crowd she went? Elrond had released her from his hold some time ago, slipping his arm out from under hers as gently as water flowing over the land, yet she found herself still moving forward.

That was what this festival was for, she realized, to urge those still alive to keep moving forward.

And so she did.

There was much dancing, slow rhythmic twirling dances that she picked up as easily as she breathed, and she often found herself holding the hands of her dear friends. Everything was so much more vibrant, the feel of fabric, the sight of stars and the colors that spun around her, the smells of food and flowers that permeated the air, the taste of the song on her lips.

She had danced with Elladan for a time, laughing when, amongst the serene and ethereal atmosphere he had made a funny face at her and smiled at her reaction. Elrohir was more quiet and reserved, choosing to simply dance with her and not bother to talk like she saw so many of the others doing. She was caught up by Glorfindel next, who gave her a brief hug before sending her on. She danced with Elleniya after that, laughing when the ellyth poked fun at her rosy cheeks and asked what the Prince of Mirkwood was like. They had parted ways with the promise to gossip later and Katy ignored the pang of longing she felt for her friend Cassie.

At the thought of her friend other memories from her life welled up and burst, like a bubble, and so lost in her daze was she that she could have sworn it was her mother she was dancing with next. She was dressed just as elegantly as Katy and wore a serene smile, looking at her daughter with shining eyes and her hair braided.

The moment disappeared when her mother let her go and little Estel took her place, a proud grin on his face, and wearing his best clothing. Katy laughed and swung him around playfully, pushing her mother to the back of her mind, but held onto the warmth she had brought.

When their dance had ended Estel had taken and step back and bowed low to her, "Thank you my lady," he announced playfully and scampered away to be caught up in another ellyth's arms.

That rascal, she thought, and turned to accept the next dance. It was a strange trend for a festival, she felt, because none of the elves had yet to take a break, they just kept trading partners. It was kind of fun, she admitted.

She had expected to dance with Erestor next, as he had been making his way over to her, but instead she had found herself in the hands of someone she had not quite expected to be dancing. Thranduil smiled down at her kindly in such a way that she had not seen him smile before.

"I must thank you," he said quietly as they twirled, "I would not have come had you not persuaded me to."

"I persuaded you to?" she asked, rather dumbfounded. She could not recall ever having truly discussed anything with him personally accept for the evening in the library. When she had asked him about the festival she had assumed the twins had further talked him into it and her little trick at breakfast had been the final straw.

"In a way," he answered with a laugh. "I am afraid that Elrond and I had let many things come between us over time, my bitterness chief among them, and I would have let it continue had you not so plainly spoken to me."

"I do that a lot," she admitted with her own laugh. So this was the friend Elrond had fallen out with, she realized with a smile. She was glad to have played a part in their reconciling then but she yearned to know what had disrupted their friendship in the first place. She could not imagine elves fighting each other over anything. They were too peaceful.

But then, Thranduil was not exactly peaceful, was he? He lived in the wilds and his heart no doubt followed its example.

"I have begun to see that." He let her go, watching as she floated away with another elf, and smiled once more before accepting the hand of a young ellyth too shy to look him in the eye.

Katy was pulled away from the crowd by Erestor, who insisted she eat something, before she continued dancing. But now that she had been distracted she was content to sit and watch the graceful beings spinning about with a dumb smile on her face. She wondered a lot after that, sometimes sitting in a low hanging branch or finding a friend to talk with about silly things, until Elrohir had shown up with her very own familiar guitar in hand.

"You should sing something, Katy, it would be a great show of appreciation towards our father," he explained, handing the dusty instrument to her as one would pass over a newborn.

"I don't know," she mumbled. She had not played in some time and she knew Elrohir was pulling at strings simply to get her to perform. He always had liked her songs.

She did eventually wind up on the stairs, overlooking the group of dancing elves, strumming at the strings and tuning them. It was a while before the song finally stopped and the awkwardness of a sudden quiet fell over the crowed and she started strumming just to fill the silence. No one paid her any mind but the dancing took on a livelier pace. She smiled.

"Look at the stars . . .look how they shine for you," she sang, her voice wavering before picking up strength. "And all the things you do . . .and they were yellow."

She sang many songs that night, eventually she noticed that Elrohir had joined her, strumming along on his round ukulele and humming with her. It was such a profound moment in her life, that night, that she never forgot it even when her life was in danger and she feared she would never see the light of day again, she remembered that night.

When they had grown tired of playing they moved to join the gathering group at the long tables that had been set up with food and drink. The dancing portion of the night had ended and instead the night air was filled with laughter and chatter. At the head of the largest table sat Elrond and Thranduil, their children sitting on either side of them accordingly, and Katy sat next to Elladan. They spent the rest of the festival drinking strong wine and revisiting old memories, telling funny stories, and shooting playful remarks across the table.

Katy was overwhelmed with nostalgia and fell silent at one point, admiring the friends and family she had made in Middle Earth.

"Did you ever tell father how you got that black eye?" Elladan asked her then, pulling her from her thoughts.

She blanched and scowled when Elrohir laughed, growing tipsy after his fourth cup of red wine, and turned her glower on the other brother.

"Yes, I never did get the full story," Elrond commented lightly, setting his own goblet down.

"It was nothing serious," she admitted sorely. "I went out to a bar with a friend to catch up and I was overcome with the realization that I had a very serious obligation to Middle Earth. I tried to leave but she grabbed my arm and I pushed her away." Katy let out a sigh and dropped her eyes onto the table, feeling their gazes weighing heavily on her, before continuing with, "Unfortunately she ended up hitting the woman behind her who was already drunk. This woman was crazy and she started threatening her because she had spilt her drink on her shirt. . ." She mumbled the rest, "And I told her to calm down and that she could replace her cheap ass shirt from Walmart any time and threw some money at her."

Elrond's eyes practically bugged out of his head and Elladan snorted with laughter. Across from her Legolas had set his goblet down after nearly choking on his drink.

"She attacked me and I lost an earring that night," she finished lamely, fingering her earlobe in memory.

"If only you had lost your ability to find trouble," Thranduil commented, causing the rest at the table to laugh. He did not meet her eyes though she could see a smirk playing across his face.

"How was it, first meeting the King?" Elrond added, "I imagine he was not so welcoming in the beginning."

Thranduil quirked a brow and refused to meet the gaze of the lord who was watching him imploringly.

"It was nothing too bad, I never thought I'd have to use my skills as a restaurant manager in Middle Earth though," she responded straight faced.

Legolas laughed and his father shot him a surprised look before smiling.

She was lost in thought once more after that, secretly delighted that she had gotten the king to smile, and spent the rest of the night glancing between the two high elves and wondering what her future would hold with them and their families.

If only you could see me now mom, she thought, and turned her gaze to Estel who sat next to her and nudged him playfully.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: There is one more chapter after this. But if you enjoyed so far there will be three more installments to come, longer than this one as I will be following the Hobbit and Lord of The Rings. Please Review, they bring me great joy! :3**

Katy had never felt better about her life than she did after the summer festival. In her mind it had been an awakening for her and she found herself accepting the fact that she was changing with an open mind and an open heart. She may one day out live her family, yes, but she had also gained another family in Rivendell and that steadied her heart because the fear of being alone was what had driven her to hysteria that night so long ago at her father's wake. After the festival she had walked the halls of Rivendell in a deep sense of content and joy, marveling at how well everything had turned out in the end. She was still in the gown Elleniya had made for because she was so loathe to take it off. For once in her life she did not prefer jeans over a dress. She stepped out into the gardens, now vacant of any elves, and wiggled her bare toes in the grass absently. She just felt right.

She sat down on a bench some ways down a garden path and let out a sigh. The Mirkwood elves would be returning to their home in a week and she as well as the twins would be seeing them home, the thought saddened her, but she was glad she had gotten a chance to see the fabled forest and meet the Elven King and his people. After that it had been decided that Estel was to be sent to the Dunadain to be raised in their ways like his father had been. He had not taken kindly to the news but Elrond had given him the option of staying but the thought of traveling was too tempting to the young adventurer and so he had agreed to go in the end. Then Katy would go back to her studies of Middle Earth and she would one day follow Gandalf on his adventures to see more of the world.

But for that very moment she was free to just simply sit and enjoy the peace she felt.

She refused to think about anymore of the negatives in her situation.

The next week went by quickly, Katy spent it catching up with Erestor, and listening to whatever new things he had thought of to teach her. Since she had now seen Mirkwood and some of the Misty Mountains he focused the majority of his lectures on the history of the area. She spent a lot of time practicing with her new bow in the practice fields and was often joined by Glorfindel himself who enjoyed trading witty banter with her as they fired arrow after arrow. Afterwards she would run off with Estel to tell him of her escapades with Goblins and spiders, which he enjoyed quite a lot more than Katy thought he should, but who was she to judge?

Every night of that week she found herself dinning with Elrond, the twins, Thranduil, Legolas, and the few advisors and close friends of both. The table was set up on a large balcony overlooking the numerous falls that led into Rivendell's creeks and rivers. She had feared it would be a stuffy event but there was much laughter at the table. Elrond was in good spirits and the elven King was always ready to dish out a sarcastic comment whenever he thought it was needed. While his son was still rather stoic, Katy noted that he had loosened up along with his father, something that she was to glad see.

The first night she had not known she would be dining with them all. She had just gotten back from playing with Estel down by their favorite creek when the twins knocked on her door and asked her if she was ready. The look that had come over her face was priceless. She was muddy and covered in leaves and grass and they expected her to dine with the Lord and King? She had frantically pulled on her turquoise dress and washed her face in an effort to clean herself up.

Katy had sat down at the table, feeling nervous and guilty, and could tell that the twins were secretly laughing at her because she had missed a spot of dirt on her jaw. She only knew this because Elladan and tapped at his jaw in the same spot with a significant look in her direction.

She frantically rubbed at the dirt and paused when Elrond cleared his throat. He gave her one of his stern but secretly amused looks and she dropped her hand in her lap with a sigh.

"I know this was not meant to be a formal event, Katelyn, but it surprises me that even Estel managed to clean up better than you," he said. He gestured with his eyes at the boy who was sitting across from her.

"I'm sorry," she apologized dutifully and turned to the goblet of wine in front of her. She caught sight of Estel hiding his smile behind a hand and she scrunched her nose at him in response, ignoring the cooling blush across her cheeks.

"Tell us a story, Katelyn!" Glorfindel demanded from across the table. He wore what she would describe as a shit eating grin. He had actually removed his armor for the occasion and was dressed in a grey tunic and dark breeches, his hair was loose from it usual braids.

"What kind of story?" she asked with a resigned note of irritation. They always wanted her to tell them a story, or sing a song, or describe some aspect of her culture. Ugh. Elves. She smothered the bout of irritation and gave the blond elf her undivided attention as best she could.

"Something with adventure and a good ending?" he offered.

"Hmm," she moved a grape around her plate with her fork while she thought. "Once upon a time there was a strange man from another world. He traveled through time and space in a big blue box that was much bigger on the inside . . ." She told them about The Doctor and as many of his crazy adventures as she could remember. It was probably the most irritating and at the same time entertaining night of her life. While she enjoyed telling the story of one of the greatest beings of fiction she did not enjoy the twenty million questions that came along with it. She did not expect the struggle of explaining what a sonic screw driver was.

As the upcoming departure for Mirkwood drew nearer, Estel grew more and more restless, he wanted to go with. Simple as that. He wanted to go out and have an adventure like Katelyn had and no matter how many times she said no he just knew that he had to go along. He begged and begged her until she finally snapped and told him to ask Lord Elrond himself, if he wanted to go so badly. The elf had of course said no, and Katy assumed that the discussion was over after that, luckily Estel had been sufficiently deflated. He spent the next day moping by the creek, angrily kicking at the water in frustration.

Katy had repacked her bags the next morning. She once again found herself pulling on a pair of jeans and a tunic, boots, and her cloak. She paused, staring down at her attire, and felt a strange sense of nostalgia wash over her. For a second she admired where she was and how far she had come. She admitted to wanting to see her mother again but pushed the thought aside. Whether it was real or not she had gotten to see her mother during the summer festival. She sighed and threw her bag over her shoulder and headed for the door. This time she had remembered to bring her bow, as well as a dagger, and a healthy amount of previous experience with what dangers may lurk ahead on their path to Mirkwood.

Once again she walked down the steps to the stables where she saddled the same dark brown, almost black, mare that she had ridden home on. She had not been told her name but in her mind she called her Celeste, not for any deep meaning, but she simply reminded her of her Mom's old friend who used to come around the house when she was still in school. She was kind as could be but she had a feisty streak to her.

She saw other elves preparing their mounts and when she led Celeste out of the stables and into the morning light she realized that, despite her best efforts, she was still not as early as she wanted to be because both twins had still beaten her. At least she wasn't last this time.

They watched from beside their horses as the King stood at the top of the steps, speaking with Elrond quietly, and grasped each other's forearms in farewell. The two descended together but of course, Elrond stopped at the last step and Thranduil continued on to his grand elk that had already been saddled, and mounted with no hesitation.

The rest of the group followed his lead and Katy was excited to be in the saddle once more, the prospect of going out to see the world once again, and smiled at Elrond who nodded once with a kind smile of his own.

"Safe journey," Elrond called as they departed.

Their group was a bit larger this time, as Glorfindel had taken it upon himself to join, determined to see that everyone who will be returning to Rivendell does so safely and in one piece. The Goblins weren't much of a threat with the King in their mists, but the returning trip to Rivendell may yet be filled with danger without the presence of Thranduil to protect them.

The sun was still rising over the sky and Katy watched the sunlight streaming through the leaves as they left of the valley and passed over the river. The group was mostly quiet, sometimes singing soft songs of friendship and hope, and other times talking softly amongst each other. There was a lack of the excitement and joy that had accompanied them when they first left Mirkwood that Katy dearly missed, for she was a happy and joyful creature, and the lack of it dampened her mood just a tad. She pulled out her phone and gave a quick glance around before, without removing her ring, she rubbed it across the back quickly.

"What are you doing?"

She scowled and turned to look at Elladan, "Charging my phone."

"With your ring?" he questioned.

"Yes, it works," she muttered defensively.

"Why?" he said.

"So I can play fruit ninja," she shot back and said no more.

As it turned out, playing fruit ninja on a horse was really hard, but she took the challenge in stride and perfected the skill. No one paid her any mind, content to let her do her own thing, and she was grateful.

That night, as they made camp and sat around two fires, there had been a bit more laughter than during the day. Katy had sat down next to Glorfindel and shut her eyes, not quite ready to turn in for the night, but tired enough to warrant a quick rest of the eyes. There were several other elves around her, she could tell, and she stiffened when the soft but commanding voice of Thranduil rose above the din of casual chatter.

"I have noticed that we have been followed for the last half of the day," he began from his seat at the fire between two Mirkwood elves whose names Katy did not know "Would you not come forth, little one?"

Legolas, who had been standing with arms crossed and his back to the fire, turned curiously to his father, before lifting his gaze to a cluster of trees off to the right of the group.

A sense of hush fell over the group as all eyes turned to the same spot at the figure that pushed his way through the leaves. Estel stood straight in defiance and stared at the group with as much of a stern expression he could muster on his seven year old face.

"Estel," Glorfindel let out a sigh and stood.

"I don't know what in the world you were thinking," Katy snapped, poking the boy in the chest. Indeed, she was leering over him like a wild cat ready to pounce. "Elrond will have my hide for this. I bet you he probably thinks I helped you." She scowled.

"He does not, I told him you told me no," Estel defended, crossing his arms.

"Thanks for that," she deadpanned and turned away. "There's really no point in lecturing you because you clearly know this is wrong and yet you don't seem to care."

Estel did not quite know how to feel about that and found himself at a loss for words. He scowled and turned away, heading over to the nearest of the two fires and dropping to the ground with legs crossed. There was silence from the surrounding elves as they watched him take a seat and stare angrily into the fire. Nothing was said for there was nothing to be done about the situation and they returned to their previous conversations if a bit more quietly.

Katy returned to her own spot with a sigh, "That little brat is going to be the death of me," she muttered. At the time she did not know how close to the truth she had been, but I digress. Little else happened that night, Katy finally gave in to her exhaustion and went to bed only after she was certain that Estel was comfortable and taken care of, and admitted that she would not mind his company on the journey.

The next day a summer shower dropped down on them with little warning, causing everyone's mood to plummet and tighten their cloaks around them, but Katy rode with Estel sitting in front of her and she found it hard to be in low spirits with the little guy keeping her company. Rain wasn't all that bad when you had someone to laugh with and crack jokes. Funny that she found herself having more in common with a seven year old then an elf who was more likely to be over seven hundred years old. Or maybe it wasn't, she didn't know, and refused to dwell on it anyways.

Estel was well behaved for the rest of the trip, he sat quietly and did not fidget all too much, and if he wanted something he would ask her in the politest of ways. Though Katy knew this was because he was kissing ass more than anything. She still liked it over his usual impish self.

Even when they passed through the mountains, carefully leading their mounts, he did not complain. Not even a squeak, she would later tell Lord Elrond.

They arrived in Mirkwood five days after setting out from Rivendell, and though the forest was just as foreboding as before, Katy once again found herself drawn to the wilderness and her eyes would often stray but she was confident Celeste would follow the others. Estel was curious and scanned the surroundings constantly, ever eager to catch sight of some kind of dark creature and point it out to Katy, before naming it of course. He always chose boring names, Katy noted some time later. He had spotted a giant praying mantis and had dubbed it Timothy, of all things. She could not stop the derisive snort after that incident and he had stuck his tongue out at her, refusing to look at her since.

When they made camp in the woods that night Katy had insisted they tell ghost stories because that was the best fire side tradition. She started out with her own tale about her aunt's funeral, as it was a good one, and she was certain any ghost stories the elves would tell would be less terrifying and more or less just ominous.

"So there I was, curled up in a ball in my late aunt's living room, pretending to sleep so that whatever it was would leave me alone. There was silence and a suffocating atmosphere, like the house was holding its breath, waiting. And then, I heard it," she trailed off, waggling her fingers at Estel in a spooky way.

"Hear what?" he asked, not sounding as terrified as she had hoped.

She leaned forward and cupped a hand around his ear and whispered, "Don't go near daddy's room."

"Ugh, get away!" Estel cried, pushing her out of his bubble and rubbing at the goose bumps on his arms.

Katy cackled and nearly fell back, "To this day my mom says that it was her sister trying to warn her that their dad was having another drunken fit and she mistook me for her." Katy stared off into the woods in a daze before turning to Estel, "Who knows, she might still be following me around, waiting until night to sneak out and take me away."

"Stop it!" Estel shouted.

His shout scared off an owl, which had been perched near their clearing, and the ruckus of the panicked creature sent Estel running over to Glorfindel. The blond elf laughed merrily and welcomed the boy into his arms, happy to oblige in his seeking of comfort.

Katy laughed again, delighted by his reaction, and happy to hear that her story telling skills were still on par with the best.

"You are quite the evil little thing," Elrohir commented from his spot by the fire.

"You're just mad because you were scared too," Katy defended.

"If it is a true story then why are you taking such delight in it, should you not be frightened as well?" The twin shot back.

"Because scary things are fun, it's good to get your heart pumping every once in a while," she pounded her chest in demonstration and laughed at the confused look the elf wore. "In my time, we have a whole Holiday devoted to scaring the pants off each other. Whole theme parks will set up haunted houses filled with people dressed like monsters to jump out at you and chase you."

"That is morbid and strange," Elladan muttered.

"Life is short, might as well get as much out of it as you can," she shot back. "Well," she stuttered upon realizing her mistake, "I guess not for you guys, huh?" She had grown so used to the presence of the elves that she had trouble differentiating them from her own people. The realization left her feeling a bit out of place and she shifted uncomfortably.

"What would your mortality have to do with the want to be terrorized?" Elrohir questioned curiously. He spoke in that tone Katy was familiar with. It generally meant that something had caught his interest and he would not let the matter drop until he was satisfied with her answer. It sometimes foreshadowed hours of irritating questions.

"Well, we . . ." she trailed off in thought. "Okay, it's like this, we are born knowing that we will one day die. As we get older we get a clearer understanding of how limited our life really is and spending that life day in and day out doing the same old thing all the time: going to school, working, going out for a few drinks. It gets boring, there is nothing interesting in our lives, any news of war is brought to us over media. You feel as if you're stuck in a rut, disconnect from reality after a while, so we make scary movies and haunted houses to knock us out of that mind set." She explained lamely, waving her hand about in the air. "So you can understand why this," she gestured to the forest around her, "with all its dark creatures and threats of danger, is the most awesome thing I have ever come across."

"You are not well," Glorfindel said through a chuckle, still resting an arm around Estel's shoulders.

"I am twisted and warped, but very much sane," she defended with a smile.

"You're just crazy," Estel muttered.

"You named a pray mantis, Timothy," she shot back.

Thranduil had listened to the conversation but tuned it out once it turned into a petty argument between Katy and Estel. How interesting the humans of her time were, in a strange removed sort of way, he found himself interested how someone like her had been produced by the lackluster world she described. His gaze lingered on her frequently throughout the rest of their travels until they reached his halls and even then he found his mind preoccupied with the far future, wondering what the age of man would be like, what horrors and wonders would come of it?

Katy noticed many things on their trip back to Mirkwood and chief among them was that the king never slept. At first she did not find this odd because elves did not need to rest like humans, they could go days without so much as a cat nap and be perfectly fine, but then she began to realize that everyone was in fact sleeping. So perturbed was she that she would spend the nights fighting exhaustion to watch him stand against the darkness, far away from the camp fires, and watch for danger. He never moved from his chosen spot, and she quickly noticed there was a pattern to where he stood for when the first started their journey and were still within the mountains he would find a large rock to stand upon and when they had left them he would stand west facing them, then the further they got he would face north, and once they had caught sight of the distant forest his eyes would not leave its borders. When they were within Mirkwood forest he would stand sentry over them from the branches of a tall tree directly over top of them. He would sit ever so gracefully amongst the foliage and even those knobbly dark branches looked like a throne surrounding him. He was quite literally placing himself in paths of danger to guard them.

She smiled and turned over on her blankets and pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders. The fire was still crackling despite the late hour, lending her plenty of light to see by so it was no surprise to her when Estel crawled over to her from his spot on the other side of the twins. She had seen him tossing and turning in frustration, he probably was having trouble getting to sleep, and push his blankets aside to sit up and search her out in the glow of the fire. She chuckled when he dragged his blankets to her and settled down just in front of her. He lay facing her, head resting on one arm, and looked at her in concern.

"Why does he do that?" he whispered to her, his eyes lingering on the figure over her shoulder.

Katy stared at him blankly, knowing the Thranduil could no doubt hear him whispering loudly to her. She wiggled on top of her blankets, attempting to settle into a comfortable position, before responding, "He's watching for danger."

"What kind of danger?" he asked, sounding skeptical. He had yet to see any of the creatures that Katy had first described when she returned from Mirkwood.

"Goblins, spiders, and my Aunt Sally," she took on a playfully grave tone and wiggled her fingers at him again like she had done not two hours before.

"Stop it," he laughed, pushing her hands away.

"Never," she whispered and poked at his belly.

"So that big bug that I saw today, what did you say it was called again?" Estel changed the subject, finding his curiosity on the creatures of Mirkwood growing the deeper they traversed into the forest.

"A Praying mantis, they're a lot smaller in my time, but they're still pretty cool," she explained. "The females actually bite the heads off of the males after mating."

"They do not," he shot back with a scowl.

"Do to!" she responded. "Lots of bugs do it, the black widow spider sucks out all her mates insides."

"That's gross, why?" he scrunched his nose.

"Probably to build up strength to be mommies," she answered with a shrug.

"So their kids grow up never knowing their father?" he asked.

Uh oh, she could sense where this was going, she realized, and examined him for a moment before responding, "They know of their father's and what they sacrificed so that they could live."

"But it's not the same," he whispered back, fiddling with the corner of his blanket.

"No," she agreed just as quietly, "but he loved them so much that he was happy to suffer through whatever it would take to make them safe."

Estel did not meet her eyes after that and instead pulled the blanket up to his ears in obvious distress. Katy watched him for a moment before tussling his dark curls and patting his cheek, "Cheer up little one, you have so much ahead of you." After a moment of thought she reached an arm around him and pulled him closer to her, continuing to run her fingers through his hair with a smile, she liked being able to play the parenting role every once in a while. He wiggled closer before finally settling down.

"Hey, Jude, Don't make it bad . . ." she sang the song softly, not wanting to wake any of the elves. They could no doubt hear her in their sleep but she figured if she sang in soft enough tones it would only help to lull them deeper into slumber. "Take a sad song and make it better."

The fire continued to pop and crackle behind her and besides her voice it was the only sound in their little camp. There were no crickets chirping in the depths of Mirkwood, she noticed, and she had the feeling that it was the lack of the common creatures in exchange for the grotesque that really lent the woods a terrifying feel. Not the layers of spells and magic heaped over the trees to lead intruders astray, nor the darkness threatening to encroach of the king's domain, but the alien feeling the monsters lent the trees. It was the this sort of feeling that steadied her nerves and calmed whatever fears she had towards the wood.

"Remember to let her into your heart, and you can start to make it better," she continued. She was certain that Estel had yet to fall asleep if his constant shifting was anything to go by. She smiled down at the boy and poked his nose, unable to resist the temptation, and laughed threw her singing when he scrunched it up and rubbed at it playfully. She knew she should be focused on trying to get him to sleep so she refrained from further pestering him and returned to playing with his hair. "Hey Jude, don't be afraid, you were made to go out and get her. The minute you let her under your skin, then you begin to make it better." She traced the shell of his ear, remembering that her mother used to do the same for her when she was child.

She glanced at the ring on her finger, finding that it was once again glowing softly against the darkness, and smiled. It filled her with such warmth and compassion that she felt as if she could not contain herself, although, what she would have done if she hadn't she did not know. She'd probably squish Estel in a death hug out of excitement. It seemed to approve of her actions and this pleased her, for long had she begun to view it as a guide and mentor when it came to her duties in Middle Earth and as a friend when it came to her emotions. Strange that she would think of it in such a way but she had yet to fully realize that there was a piece of someone's very soul laced throughout the silver band and it was always reaching for her encouragingly.

Above her, the trees rustled in a strong wind, causing her to look up into the eyes of the woodland king. She dropped her gaze back to Estel. He was not intently watching the two, at least not obviously, but his casual and aloof gaze unsettled her.

"And any time you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain, don't carry the world upon your shoulders." She noticed that the little tike had, if not fallen asleep, was well on his way to. "Don't you know that it's a fool who plays it cool by making his world a little colder." Across the fire she heard one of the others shift in their sleep and she paused, worried that she had woken someone. She lifted her head from where it was propped against her hand and squinted through the flames.

"He will not wake," Thranduil spoke from his perch in a gentle tone.

Katy glanced up at him and then back down at Estel, "Hey Jude, don't let me down, you have found her, go out and get her. Remember to let her into your heart, then you can start to make it better."

Thranduil made no other comment that night. He leaned back against the trunk of the tree he sat in, one leg dangling above the ground and the other resting against another branch. His eyes drifted up to the canopy where starlight was just able to spill in through the clustered treetops.

They stayed in Mirkwood no more than two days, long enough to recover from the trip, before preparing to leave. But during those two days Katy found herself often in the presence of the king. He was eager to learn of her time, she realized, and she discovered that he was quite the knowledge seeker like herself. He was practically glutinous when it came to the inventions and devices she described. He would shoot off question after question, clearly as perplexed by his curiosity as she was, and would often remain silent for extended periods of time after each answer she gave him debating on whether it would be appropriate to ask another. He was particularly shocked when she mentioned war.

Katy had stood in the library, book in hand and scanning its pages curiously, when Thranduil had spoken up and asked, "What is an atom bomb?"

"Do you know what a firework is?" she began absently, not taking her eyes away from the pages in front of her. The day before she would have given him her undivided attention but even he had admitted his questions were too frequent to demand that much of her for every one that he had, even if he was a King.

"Yes," he responded with a quirk of a brow.

Okay mister sassy pants, she thought. "A bomb in essence, is an explosive weapon using the same idea, but with much more lethal force," she explained. She gazed about, searching for a way to explain it to him but she found that she could not lest she go into detailed explanation of what an atom was exactly and she refused to open that can of worms. "The atom bomb was created during a great war, they wanted an end-all, and it had gone on for far too long and wanted a way to finally put a stop to it. It is literally an annihilator, it wipes out everything, buildings are decimated and people are nothing but vaporized scorch marks against the ground. It has not been used since that war seventy years ago and I hope it is never used again." She snapped the book shut and placed it back on the shelf.

"It seems very effective," he observed. "Why not use it?"

"Life is not black and white anymore," she explained with a sigh, "There are no monsters and goblins, evil wizards and war lords. Now there are men fighting over separate views and they paint each other evil to justify their actions. Those bombs were dropped on civilians, not the military, but on cities filled with innocent people. For the good of the cause, they said, to finally put a stop to this madness, "She muttered the end and snorted. "People are disgusting, war is a disgusting thing now, there is no honor in it," she muttered and sat down in front of the fire like she so often did in the library and sighed.

"Dark are the days of men, I see," Thranduil observed. He thought then to leave her be but felt a certain amount of guilt at being the indirect cause of her sour mood and so changed the topic instead. "How is the Little Lady Emma since your last adventures with her?"

"I don't know," she admitted, "I have not gone back to visit my family." She dropped her gaze to her lap and picked at the frayed jeans absently. "You met her as a four year old but she's probably almost eleven now."

"How peculiar," he murmured thoughtfully and noticed that rather than cheer her his question had darkened her sour mood even further.

"And now I suddenly just realized why she's been so obsessed with fairy tales," she thought out loud. "Oops," she muttered.

Thranduil had moved over to a shelf of books and was currently flipping through the pages of a well-worn tome while his mind wandered through thoughts of Katelyn's time. He was marveling at her ability to speak so strait forward with him and how she had the tendency to see the very simple core of every conversation and problem, though he suspected this was more to do with her upbringing then her own personal charm, he assumed that every human had similar traits in her time. Alhough he was not exactly correct in his assumptions, because there are always those handfuls lacking in intelligence, he wasn't that far off.

"Sir?" an adviser of the king spoke from the library doorway, an arm load of parchment in tow.

"Yes, I know, my dear friend. I was just finishing here," he spoke in such a patronizing tone that Katy turned to give Thranduil an admiring look. It took all her will power not to laugh.

"I will just leave everything in your study then," the adviser nodded. "The council will be taking place this evening, the last of the captains arrived this morning, activity has been low he reported." He continued to ramble on about the politics and nature of the spider and goblin situation and other such things that Katy grew rather bored with but could not concentrate to read because of.

Thranduil snapped his book shut with a heavy sigh, effectively shutting up one of his few trusted advisers, before sliding the book back into place on the shelf. It had been one of many that he had struggled to finish over the years, but his schedule was so clustered with important meetings and events that he had yet to find the time to do so. He gave it one last longing look before straightening his shoulders and turning on the spot to follow the elf to his study.

"In case I am not freed before you depart tomorrow morn, which I very well might not be," he cast a pointed glance at the adviser, "I bid you a safe journey."

"See you later," she said with a wave from her spot by the fire and returned to her book with a content sigh.

They departed the next morning and Thranduil had indeed been held within counsel for long into the night and well into morning, elves don't need to sleep as much as we do after all, and he was not able to see off the small group returning to Rivendell. They understood of course and gladly accepted Legolas' well wishes in his place and as they rode off on their horses Katy looked back at the prince and received a hesitant smile and a nod. She smiled back, teeth and all, glad to see that his spirits were not as low that day.

The group of four and a half elves and one human rode at a fast pace, determined to return home as soon as possible, and Katy would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy it. The feel of racing through the forest was something that could not be explained though she did try at one point, but never successfully. Imagine that, the story teller unable to describe something!

The rode for much of the day and they were soon able to see streams of sunlight peeking through the dense foliage suggesting that they were reaching the edge of Mirkwood but it was Glorfindel who reined his horse in and glanced about the clearing they had arrived in.

"Something is wrong," he warned darkly. "This is not where we should be." He turned his mount about in a circle, antsy and confused.

The others had slid to a stop next to him and the twins shared a nervous glance before taking up position on either side of Katy and Estel.

Katy watched Glrofindel, concerned, until she tensed and spun in the saddle to look behind her. Something felt terribly off and she scowled at the panic that bubbled up in her chest. She reached for her dagger sheathed at her side and handed it over to Estel who looked up at her worriedly. She drew her bow and notched an arrow just as the twins did.

"We are being watched," Elladan muttered.

As if that was the signal a hoard of disgusting creatures jumped out of the trees and filled the clearing at such an alarming rate that Katy did not have time to fire a single arrow before she was overrun by the disturbingly familiar creatures.

"Goblins," Glorfindel spat and drew his sword.

Elrohir tossed another dagger to Katy who caught it and threw her bow over her shoulder, she was far too deep within the horde of creatures to use her bow and protect Estel at the same time. She pulled on the reins of her horse and Celeste reared in fright, nearly screaming in terror, and lunged forward.

"Take the reins, Estel," she shouted.

The boy fumbled to as she said and she reached around to latch one hand onto the pommel of the saddle and used the other to stab at a goblin that had latched onto the side of the horse. Her dagger pierced its neck where it met at the shoulder and it squealed before letting go only to be trampled by the horse's hooves a second later as she reared back again. Katy stabbed at another and another, feeling their claws and teeth on her legs and thighs and watching as Celeste's flanks were torn practically to shreds.

This is dumb! She thought, she did not have a long enough blade to fight from horseback and she was too surrounded to use an arrow without being attacked from right under her feet. She glanced over at Glorfindel who was faring far better than she was with his long blade. She grunted and snatched the reins from Estels hands and pulled Celeste towards the blond elf. Katy kicked her into a gallop and she leaped, bucking and stamping, over to Glorfindel who did not see them until Celeste had surged into a group of goblins piling up against his own mount, and sent them sprawling.

"Take him," she shouted.

Glorfindel nodded and reached a hand out for Estel who quickly obliged and slid into the saddle in front of him.

Katy did not bother wasting time after that. There were still a good thirty or so of the monsters surrounding them. And there was no telling how many were in the trees. She jumped from the saddle and into the fray, noting that Elladan had done the same, and fell into a rhythm of slicing and stabbing with her dagger. It was a dance, she realized, for every parry and stab followed a rhythm that she caught onto. Whether this was because of the ring or natural instinct she did not know, but it felt as if everything had slowed down. Goblins jabbed and cackled and she simply flew around them, lifting her dagger to catch a sword here, shoving it forward to stab a goblin there. She kept moving and ignored all else. It did not last for long though, one goblin caught her from behind and whacked her back with the flat of his sword, sending her flying to the ground. She turned onto her back just as he moved to strike her and rolled out of the way. He was trampled by someone's horse and she jumped to her feet, stumbling to catch herself, feeling the adrenalin leave her in a rush. She gasped for breath and turned just as Glorfindel was knocked from his horse. The horse fell over on top of him, kicking and screaming, and Estel was sent flying into the trees.

"No!" she lunged forward but found her path blocked by more of the pieces of filth and she growled. "Get out of my way!"

They decided then, that the fight was not worth it, and scrambling they dispersed within the trees cackling and chattering away in their dark tongue and dragging a screaming Estel with them. Katy tried to run after them but she staggered, feeling her ankle give out. They were all injured, she realized, and cried out in frustration. Elladan was sporting a cut above is forward that bled into his eyes and holding his left arm limply at his side while his brother had taken a glancing blow to the side with a sword. She turned and found Glorfindel struggling out from under the prone form of his horse, he grunted and cursed, and she spotted several patches of blood across his clothing as well as a disgusting bruise forming across his jaw.

"We have to go," she said, picking up her dagger that she had dropped and searched the clearing for Celeste only to discover that she had long since escaped. They only had one horse, they realized, for Elrohir's had also been killed.

"Elladan, ride back and inform the king of what has transpired," Glorfindel ordered. "The rest of us will follow them on foot. Go!"

Eladan nodded and jumped up onto the nervous creature and sprung into a full on gallop back the way they had come. The three left standing in the clearing shared a glance before setting off at a run after the goblins.

They ran for hours it felt like, though none of them were sure, struggling against their injuries. Thankfully they were elves, for the most part, and could endure. There were obvious tracks for them to follow and they had no trouble with keeping pace but they quickly grew confused when they concluded that the goblins were not heading towards the mountains, but rather, in the opposite direction.

Estel was confused. He had never before been kidnapped the realization that he was in serious danger frightened him beyond belief but it also angered him. He struggled with all his might against the goblin carrying him but all it got him was a few more bruises and an earful of jabbering dark speech that he did not understand.

The goblins ran well into the night where they split into two smaller groups, the one carrying Estel followed the smaller of the two groups and headed further east. They continued running for hours after that and they had long since left the forest behind. They were surrounded by grass lands and clusters of trees that offered little to no cover against the elements. Night had fallen by the time they came to a stop at the edge of a large body of water, this was Long Lake, though Estel did not know this. They stopped under a grouping of trees, hidden out of sight, and talked among each other for a few moments. Estel could not understand them but just so you are made aware, the goblins often captured humans and used them as slaves or ate them. Estel was too small to really do either with and in this case they had settled on trading him for food and money. They often took the children that they captured to the shadier side of Lake Town where men were less honorable and turned them over for whatever slimy things they desired.

Estel sat in the middle of the clustering of stinking creatures and pulled his knees up to his chin with a sigh. There was not much he could do in the situation, he was far too small to fight and the dagger Katy had given him had been lost in the original scuffle back in Mirkwood.

They waited for another hour or so until a light appeared above the water separate from the lights of the town. A boat with two men, one fat and the other skinny, slid across the water towards the group.

The goblins chattered excitedly when the boat had pulled up onto shore and dragged Estel to his feet and thrust him towards the men eagerly. The skinny one grabbed him by his shoulders while the fat one threw a small bag of coins at the little monsters. They laughed and chittered and shook the bag, passing it from one to the other, before deciding it was a worthy trade and scampered back into the trees and out of sight.

Estel did not try to reason with the men, he knew what had just transpired and realized that he would spend the rest of his life as a slave if he did not do something. While the men went about pushing the boat back into the water, a dumb move on their part, Estel cast his eyes about his surroundings and paused. If he ran the men would follow him no matter where he went, except maybe for that place. He stared off to his left at the figure of a mountain silhouetted against the full moon. It would be a days run but he was young and he had no doubt he could outrun the two men, especially the fat one.

He bolted. No warning. The two did not even know he was gone until he had passed the group of trees that goblins had originally been hiding in, that had been all the head start he needed. He was not bound and relatively free of serious injury and so he found himself leaping across the field in great strides for his small body. He ran and ran and ran and when he looked back the men were mere figures in the distance. Little did he know that this was the exact reason he would later earn the title Strider. He laughed and turned back to face the mountain. There was a dragon in there somewhere, he realized, and the curiosity quickly overwhelmed his fear.

If it had not been for Glorfindel, they would have never known which group of goblins to follow when they split in Mirkwood. His keen eyes detected the heaviest of the goblins, the one carrying Estel, and sprinted after it like a wolf on the hunt.

Elrohir's side had bled much longer than they were comfortable with but he assured them that it was just a scratch and they pressed on, heedless of their injuries after that. Despite their best efforts though, they had fallen behind. Glorfindel did not stop when they broke through the last line of trees of the forest but sprang out into the open and continued. He would not allow Estel to fall to any harm if he could help it.

Katy never fell more than a few feet behind the two and when they had slid to a stop at the edge of the lake they found the forgotten boat and accompanying tracks. All three gasped for air and glanced about their surroundings frantically.

"He got away," Glorfindel let out a triumphant laugh and turned left after the three sets of prints. "They must have sold him to slave traders and dumb ones at that, thank the stars," he panted.

It quickly became apparent where he had been heading but they continued on with grim determination. They passed the two men, huffing and puffing after they had given up pursuit and had turned to head back to their boat, but spared them little more than a glance.

The men watched the three elves pass in surprise for they were obviously not Mirkwood elves and the female was wearing strange pants?

"Do you think he would have gone in?" Elrohir panted and winced as he ran.

"I do not know," Glorfindel muttered. "I only hope not, but he is a fearless one."

They ran far into the morning of that day, until noon, where they came upon the foot of the lonely mountain and watched as Estel's clumsy little footsteps marched directly through the front gates of Erebor. They slid to a stop, panting and gasping for breath, before turning to crouch behind a few sparse bushes.

Smoke billowed out of the front gates and with it came the of awful smell of decay and reptile.

"We cannot all go in," Glorfindel began, "This will require stealth. I am afraid that Estel alone will be enough to wake the dragon and no weapon will save the one who goes in." He glanced at the gate through the dried leaves of their hide out and then dropped his eyes to the gravel beneath them in frustration.

"You're saying it's a suicide mission," Katy commented. It was not a question. They all fell silent, staring at each other wearily.

Glorfindel eyed her for a moment before nodding once in confirmation. His lips formed a tight line and he let out a breath through his nose, trying to get his breathing under control. A lock of his hair fell over his shoulder, trailing passed his smudged face and giving him a wild look she was not accustomed to seeing him wear.

"Elrohir should not go in, I fear the smell of his blood will only drive the dragon mad," he said. "He has lost too much as it is."

"So that counts you out as well," she glanced down at his tunic soaked through with blood in several places.

Glorfindel looked down as if surprised to find himself injured and winced, "I am sorry Katelyn. I will go and risk it." He stood and made to step out from behind the bushes but Katy grabbed his sleeve.

"No, I will go," she cried. "Get in get out, easy as pie." She stood and brushed the dirt of her jeans before meeting the eyes of the captain of the Rivendell guard with a determined nod. "Besides, all I need is a door and I can slip into another time, remember?" She grinned but it was really more of a grimace.

"You have two hours, if you are not back by then I will go to get reinforcements," he stated. It was an order, given by the captain and not her friend.

Katy shook her head with a ironic smile, "You and I both know that no amount of reinforcements will help against Smaug."

Glorfindel sighed again and turned away, fists on his hips, and shook his head.

Elrohir reached for Katy's hand and pulled her into a tight hug before quickly moving away. He did not want to risk getting blood on her and awakening a hungry dragon with the smell. She herself had several lacerations but she had not bled as much as the two ellon had.

Katy sighed and squared her shoulders before nodding to herself, "Let's do this." She turned and faced the entrance to the mountain and scowled, trying to work herself up for the fight. She never thought she would ever find herself walking into a dragon's lair. She never thought she would find herself anywhere but Tommy's Bar and Grill for the rest of her life, in all honesty, but I digress. At that moment she really was wishing that the most of her worries were upcoming bills and exams. How the times have changed.

She looked back at the two briefly. They wore mixed expressions of concern, panic, and resignation that did nothing but send her heart a flutter and cause a bubble of fear to blossom in her stomach. She turned away and looked at the gates to the lonely mountain, they stood like the mouth of some great beast, ready to gobble her up. She let out a shaky breath and pushed her way through the sparse bushes they had taken shelter behind and stepped on to the gravely dirt path that led up to the bridge. The worst part about her impending doom was that she knew what awaited her through that dark doorway and it terrified her.

Her feet traveled silently over the stone bridge and into the dark, she did not hesitate, Estel was in their by himself and he needed someone to get him out of there. She squared her shoulders and wondered deep into the halls of Erebor. The air was stale and stank of years of decay and smoke and it choked her the deeper she went. Stairway after stairway after stairway she traveled and the further she went the more her determination grew.

She was heedless of the dimmed beauty and history of the hollowed halls.

Eventually she began to see a deep yellow glow spilling out from another hall and as she made her way towards it she slowed. She was tempted to unsheathe her knife, but she knew that it would do no good against a dragon, and so she peeked around the corner of the wall and gasped. The mountains of gold that spilled from every doorway of the immense cavern were quite literally breathtaking but she struggled past the awe and scanned the large room to the best of her ability. There was little light besides what seemed to emanate from the gold itself but if she listened closely she could hear the sound of coins sliding against coins. She worked to pinpoint the sound, her eyes roving over every hill and doorway until at last she spotted the boy.

Estel was crouched in an archway, leaning forward as if he had found something in the distance and was caught in a state of awe. Katy could only guess but she knew what he had found, for she too could see it after a bit of searching: the red gold scaled snout of the dragon Smaug. The rest of him was buried under a mountain of treasure but she could still make out his nostrils flaring, drawing deep slumbering breaths.

Katy pushed herself away from the wall and stood, feeling every scrape and bruise from the previous battle, and scampered down the stairs to the bottom floor. Estel must have heard her for he turned his head sharply in her direction and when his eyes landed on her they widened in both fear and joy. Fear because he was obviously going to get an earful and joy because she was there to help him for the second he had spotted the dragon he knew that he should not have come. She gestured for him to move towards her and he stood slowly, obediently making his way closer to her as quietly as he could. Gold coins and trinkets slid away beneath him and they both froze, hearts pounding, before once again moving forwards. When they were ten feet a part they heard a noise, worse than the sound of moving gold, and Katy felt the telltale signs of tears.

A deep and growling chuckle that had them frozen to the spot.

"I can smell you, thieves," Smaug rumbled.

All around them gold slid away, sending waves of the precious metal deeper into the doorways and crevices of the room as the dragon lifted his imposing head and opened his gleaming orange eyes to take in the room.

Katy grabbed Estel and threw him behind a particularly high mound of treasure and gestured for him to run. He fumbled, wanting to stay and help but knowing there was nothing he could do, before scrambling away, deep within Erebor to find his way out.

"I have not smelt your kind in nearly two centuries, elf." The dragon purred and slithered from his bed, swinging his head to take in the sight of her and smiled a frightful grin. "Where is the other? I know there are two of you."

"There is only I, oh great one," Katy called up to the beast, her voice sounding shaky even to her own ears. In her mind she ran through every curse word she could recall.

Smaug laughed, "Very well, I will play along, but do tell me, what is it that you seek? What great treasure have you come in search of?" He moved, slithering at first but then lifted himself to his full height and curled around her, his great head level with her. "For I have many here within my mountain."

"I seek nothing, except your image, as I have never before seen a dragon and I wished to say that I had. I see now that it was foolish of me, for you are much more magnificent and powerful than I could have ever imagined and I know now that I have come to my death." She feared that if she took her eyes away from his that he would sense her lie and snap her up between his jaws without a second thought, she imagined what it would feel like as his fangs pierced her flesh and ripped her to shreds.

"Hmm," he hummed and sniffed at her, his great snout pulling in heaping amounts of air, before he cocked his head. "You smell strange, like fire and stone, and . . . lightning," he tightened the circle around her and she took a step back but could go no further for she was resting against is leg.

"I will admit that I am not from here, I am from another time all together," she began, her voice growing a bit more steady as she continued, "I have no need for treasure for I drift from time to time and gather, not gold, but knowledge. The physical loses meaning once you yourself struggle to remain in one time let alone one place."

"Interesting," he snorted and a plume of fire shot out.

Katy lifted her arms to cover her face but that did little good against the fire that licked at the undersides of her arms and stomach. She cried out and fell against his rough and scaly leg.

"Perhaps I should keep you here as one of my own treasures then," he said thoughtfully.

"I would be glad to stay, to tell you all that I have learned if it would mean that I could remain in this time without being pulled into another," she admitted. She did not know how long she could run with the lie that she was spinning but the dragon seemed convinced of her tale.

"Then tell me some of your tales and I shall decide whether or not I should just eat you and save myself the trouble," he growled and rested his head on the ground.

"What would you like to hear?" she asked, fighting the strange sense of da javu and remembering the night so long ago in Rivendell when Glorfindel had asked the same thing of her. She winced, feeling her burning flesh rub against her clothing and gasped.

"Tell me a tale of darkness and blood, I do love carnage and chaos," he rumbled.

"Alright," she hissed in pain and made herself comfortable against his leg. She cast about her mind, trying to recall all the stories that she could, remembering every movie or show she had ever watched, and settled on something very bloody indeed. "There once was a boy, his name was Vlad Dracula, and his father was the ruler of a small kingdom in a far off land. This kingdom was so small that they depended on another for protection and every few years they would come to collect all the young boys to train them into killing machines. One day they came for Vlad himself and his father let them take him and he was beaten and broken down until he could be rebuilt as a war machine. He became the most deadly human to ever walk the Earth, just the mere sight of him sent entire armies in retreat, and when there was finally an era of peace he returned home, disgusted with all that he had done. They said that Dracula meant The Son of The Devil and no matter how many times he told them that it was not so, that his name meant Son of The Dragon, no one would listen. So he cast off his past and took his father's place and ruled for years until one day they came to take his own son away. But he would not let them and so began the war between the two kingdoms. . ." she told the tale to the best of her abilities, relishing in the dragon's rapt attention as she weaved the story of tragedy. "And so, in the end, he told him that yes, his name did mean The Son of The Devil, and he himself became a monster to save his son. . . ."

She did not know if anyone would come to rescue her and she only hoped that Estel had made it out safely. It would be foolish for them to come down after her because there was no way for them to fend off the dragon, he was simply to formidable a foe. She was on her own, she decided, and forced herself not to show the fear that took hold of her heart. Or the tears that threatened to spill.

She had always loved dragons, she thought drearily, collecting models and pictures and plastering her room in the scaly creatures. She had never delved too deep into fantasy, preferring science fiction over anything, but she had always had a soft spot for the fire breathing lizards. Now as she sat surrounded by the great and powerful Smaug she realized that he was not a mythical figure to be admired with wonder. He was dangerous and venomous, and he snorted and belched fire with no regard for manners, and when his tongue flicked out and he blinked his great fiery eyes it was a snake that she saw. Yet still, she found herself in awe of him, even as he eyed her suspiciously and listened to her stories with a doubtful air. Because here in front of her was a true myth of legend, capable of reaching far into even her own time, and he was terrifying and beautiful. If the past seven years of her life had felt like a dream than Smaug was the last straw in shattering that perspective like so much fragile glass. Even the goblins had been laughable in their yammering, chattering, disarray and antics. The Elves were breath taking and mesmerizing to watch in their surreal and otherworldly grace and beauty. Wizards were amusing and grave at the same time, filled with knowledge and charm. But living amongst them had made her feel more like an observer, as if she were participating in a role playing game and simply reacting how she thought was best, and not fully allowing herself to accept what was in front of her. But Smaug, there was no denying him, for he reared his great scaly head in her direction and laughed at her existence, taunted her, and threatened her with his fire and claws amused by her fear. He smirked and snickered, flicking his tongue, and asked her 'why'? Why should he spare her? Why did she deserve to live? Why struggle to figure out her purpose if she was not fully devoted to it? It was pointless to fight against the turn of the Earth when one day the last vestige of wonder will be sucked dry from the very air of the world and when it had all at last been absorbed by humanity they would fall into decline and the world would wither and die.

"Because there is magic."

The words sprung forth in her mind, heedless of her dark thoughts, and sent a bolt of electricity through her spine. It was not her voice, it was young and full of spirit and determination, something ageless and not solely hers but without a doubt correct.

She stared at the great dragon, took in his face and curving scales, his bright eyes, and smiled. He was not an evil creature, she realized, but only a beast of darker magic. His sole purpose was not to be evil, it was to collect gold, and feel the warmth its riches brought him. He craved satisfaction and joy just like any other living thing. And he was magical. Something her world so desperately lacked.

So even as his fire burned her skin, licking away layers at a time, she found him so utterly beautiful that it brought tears to her eyes. He of course did not pay attention, so caught up in the story was he, and even when her voice began to tremble he only settled further into the piles of gold and made himself comfortable. His chest rose and fell slowly, taking time to fill the great lungs within it, slowing as he was lulled into an entranced state by her story.

She was still filled with fear but it had long since become more of an alert weariness than terror. Here was a creature that had a high level of intelligence and though he was mostly malignant she was confident he could be reasoned with and if not, then at least tricked.

Smaug demanded many stories of her, one after the other she told, until her throat grew dry and her mind weary and her burns oozed with puss and scabbed. She quickly realized that the dragon did not care for her well being, for he constantly belched and snorted out flames, not minding where they were directed. She gained several more burns until she could not find a part of her that was not somehow scorched or charred and she smelt terribly of brunt flesh and hair. But still he demanded more. Hour after hour she spoke until she noticed, with a start of surprise, that the dragon's eyes were growing heavy and so she spoke in softer lilting tones until they fell shut. Even still, she continued to weave tales until she eventually ran out of things to say so she began to tell the only tale she had left.

"In a hole in a ground there lived a hobbit . . ."

She had long since fallen silent, too tired and thirsty to continue talking, until she realized that she had not spoken for an hour yet Smaug had not stirred. She leaned forward, pulling herself away from his leg, and struggled not to cry out in pain. When he did not move she pushed herself to her feet, thankful that she was standing on a bare patch of stone and moved to step over his tale but paused. The thought struck her then, and though it was crazy and incredibly stupid, she followed through with it.

While her wounds burned and moving alone caused her agony she quietly shuffled around gold and treasure, heedless of the immense wealth that glittered and winked around her, tempting her, she sidled up to his great head. Heeding his scales and spikes she bent over, for the top of his crown came to her chest, and laid a kiss upon his brow. The ring glowed warmly, sending out a comforting glow of light that rivaled the gold around her, and she felt her lips grow warm against his cold scales. He did not stir. But something in her heart settled then, something she had not known was in distress, and she let out a soft sigh. He would never be good, she knew, he would never relinquish his love of the gold he horded. The instinct was far to ingrained within his species. But maybe he would one day pass on the simple kind gesture with his own in some small way.

She did not know what she had just done of course, for few ever rarely do when they affect the outcomes of the future, but her deed would later prove to have more value than she could have ever hoped for. But we are not at that part of the tale yet and as such we must refocus on Katy and her soon to be escape.

When she found herself safely removed from the dragon's circle she quietly stumbled away. She had made it half way up the steps leading out of the cavern when he snorted and shifted more tightly in on himself before falling quiet again. She let out the breath she had been holding before scampering out of the cavern and down a hall.

She would make it out of Erebor even if it killed her. Which was likely.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Last Chapter! It's a bit shorter, but ah well, what can you do? There are two songs that I advise listening to at the end of this chapter. I placed them between these ~" . . ."~ so you will know when they come up. I just felt that they fit the mood well and a little music can take a scene a long ways. Review! **

It was several staircases later and many breaks to catch her breath before she found herself at the entrance to Erebor. She let out a sigh of relief and stumbled into the sun light, aching and stinging with every step, but paused when she saw no sight of her friends. Had they left her? Decided that she was a lost cause? She felt so utterly defeated at the thought that she crumpled to the ground, no longer fighting the tears that she had been holding back all that time. She could not move any further, and it pained her and embarrassed her to admit it, that she had only just been able to make it out of the mountain by a few feet before giving up. She was disgusted with herself but at the same time she felt that it was in her right to give up. She had survived an encounter with a dragon for god's sake!

Frustration welled up within her and she struggled to push herself to her feet. She knew that if she traveled west of the mountain she would eventually reach Mirkwood and the King's Halls. It would take about a day and a half, she realized, but she could make it. Lake Town would have been a smarter choice, but knowing that it was men from that very settlement that had attempted to enslave Estel sent her blood burning and she refused to get aid from them.

When she was once more on her feet she set out over the rocky terrain and turned right, determination ebbing and swelling within her, until she had gotten far enough from the mountain that she could look back and take it in as a whole and not just the imposing form leering over her. She nodded once to herself, satisfied with how far she had gotten, before turning to continue. It was mostly open grass land that awaited her with a few rocky hills and corps of trees for decoration. She snorted. It looked like she was truly on her own and it would not do to acknowledge it in such a desperate way by referring to the trees as company. Now if she had an ent it would be a different story, but she was not that lucky.

As she walked she tried to take in her injuries, she had severe burns on her arms and left side, less ugly to look at were the ones on her legs, but there was a nasty one that seared its way over her left collarbone and continued onto her right cheek. She could not see it but knew that it was oozing puss because she had to wipe at her jaw several times to prevent it from spilling down her neck. The sticky liquid dried and crusted against her skin and she resisted the urge to pick at it, knowing only infection and further irritation would result in it.

She was hungry, but more than anything, she was thirsty. She did not know how long she had been trapped within that dragon's circle, but his fire had sapped her of any water she had had within her. She knew, however, that if she kept going in the right direction she would reach the river that led into Lake Town. She altered her course, heading a bit more south in hopes of reaching it sooner, for her thirst was too great. Water was more important than food, she knew, and so she kept going.

Her mind was blank in the sense that she did not have any definite trains of thought to follow but she ran through memories of her family, her days as a child playing with the kids in her neighborhood, and wished that she was back there. When she was only a kid and could do anything she wanted if she imagined hard enough and the worst thing she ever had to worry about was homework. The yearning sent tears spilling over her cheeks again and she pushed on. Now she simply wanted to see her mother and hear her lecturing her about getting her head out of the clouds and getting a good job, not the one at Tommy's, and finding a husband to start a family. That thought made her laugh. She certainly had a bigger job than she could handle now; a protector of Middle Earth.

Thoughts of her father tormented her the most. Had he been there to comfort her, she knew he would have only encouraged her to keep moving forward, one foot in front of the other. Keep trudging down your path, he would say, and you just might run into a bit of luck. She vaguely recalled that he had spoken those words while watching a movie, but she had not the mind to recall which one it was at the time, and so had let the matter drop.

She stopped for a little while to see to her burns as best she could, tearing up what was left of her tunic and tying it around her chest, not worrying about anyone seeing her because she was quite alone on that plain. Now she did not have to deal with the fabric rubbing against the worst of her burns. At least she still had her cloak to cover herself if she needed, tattered as it may be, but she pushed it behind her shoulders to keep it out of her way now. She had thought about hacking off her jeans too, but those burns were not so bad, so she decided against it.

She got back up, though it was a struggle, and continued on.

When the sun began to sink towards the horizon she wondered if it would be wise to stop for the night. She dearly needed the rest but she feared that if she lay down to sleep she would not be able to get up again. If she kept walking through the night she would reach Mirkwood all the sooner anyways. She did not want to wast any more time, fearing that she would not be able to last much longer.

It was at twilight, when the sun had just sunken behind the shadow that was Mirkwood forest on the horizon, that she began to notice a strange shape taking form in the distance. At first she thought it was part of the woods and that she was simply further along than she had thought but the closer she drew towards it the more she began to realize it was not. There was a strange sound accompanying the form. The soft clattering of metal on metal and the heavy footfalls of horses.

She could not comprehend this. She figured it was a delusion brought on by dehydration, exhaustion, and pain so she simply kept trudging on her path, not caring that she was headed straight for the imposing force. When she could finally make out the specific figures that were opposing her, however, she began to hope. For the one leading the way was atop a great elk.

For the third time that day tears fell from her eyes and she could not control the sob that escaped her throat.

The elk rode forward with several horses following it while the rest of the great army, for that is what it was, remained behind in place.

Katy fell to her knees, knowing that she need not go any further, and curled into herself. She knew that she was crying out of relief and gratitude but she felt ashamed that she allowed her emotions to control her so. She heard the approaching hoof beats drawing ever closer to her until at last she heard a voice:

"Katelyn!"

It was Elladan. Her sweet Elladan. He was always the more emotional of the two, she thought.

The horses and grand elk slid to a stop and several pairs of elven feet, usually so quiet and graceful, hit the ground and came running for her. She heard them thanking Eru, the stars, and the moon itself and felt their hands on her shoulders. She realized she must make quite the sight, burnt and singed as she was, and wearing nothing more than a wrap around her chest but she did not care. Her friends were here.

Glorfindel really had kept his word. He had brought back reinforcements, an entire elven army, just to save her.

"How did you escape, little one?"

That was Thranduil, she thought, and though his tone was light she knew it was in an effort to keep the others calm. Elladan had pushed her back to take in her injuries and was looking a little green, some of her burns were more than a bit grotesque and would scar badly. He had attempted to wrap her cloak around her but she had cried out and reached for his shoulder to stop him.

Glorfindel stood back from the huddle, a hand resting on the shoulder of Estel, who had ridden with him. She saw the guilt on his face, the horror, and so she had opened her arms to him. He ran forward, wrapping his arms around her neck, and even though it hurt she still held his head to her shoulder and cried. He was okay and alive and that was all that mattered. He had escaped the dragon's lair in one piece and made it back to their friends.

"He likes stories," she finally answered with a laugh of both pain and joy.

"Of all things." Thranduil lifted his brows and gazed down at her with admiration. He moved forward and drew Estel back with a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Come, she must be taken care of in my halls, then you can be with her all that you wish," he muttered quietly.

Estel nodded and returned to Glorfindel wiping his eyes.

The twins were hovering around her, not quite sure what to do because any time they touched her she would cry out in pain or wince, but they knew she had to be moved. They had long since forgotten about their own injuries, ignoring the dried blood and bruises that decorated their flesh like so many jewels.

Thranduil brushed a hand against each of their shoulders and wrapped her cloak about her, ignoring the gasps of pain from her, and lifted her in his arms. They watched as he walked, Katy nearly hidden completely by his broad shouldered form, and lifted her onto the back of his elk. He mounted behind and gazed at them before nodding curtly.

"Send word to Lord Elrond of these events and I will care for Lady Jones in my halls and send her home when she is well enough," he said before nudging the great elk into a walk and turning back to his army. His gloved hands gripped the reins tightly and he lifted his chin to the very stars in almost defiance, daring any to hinder his path.

It was quickly decided that Glorfindel would return to Rivendell with Estel and that the twins would stay with Katy. Thus they parted ways and the twins galloped after the Elven King into his woods.

Katy was in pain, the ride was jerky, though she realized it was not as bad as it would have been had Thranduil been riding a horse. The elk ran in a gentle loping way that was equally graceful as it was efficient. She was reminded of the movie Bambi and let out a chuckle even as the King tightened his hold on her and adjusted the reins in his hand.

"You said the dragon liked stories?" he asked sometime after.

"Yes," she answered, wondering why he was trying to get her to talk, was she in that bad of shape that he didn't want her to fall asleep? "I told him I did not want his treasures, because I could not stay in one time let alone any one place, and that my wealth was in knowledge," she explained, "he said he would keep me as one of his own treasures then and I said I would love to stay if he could keep me from slipping into another time. He demanded that I tell him stories and so I did until he fell asleep and I snuck away."

"He may think you were nothing but a dream," Thranduil observed.

"He has yet to come looking for me," she agreed. She winced and fisted her jeans in pain, feeling her burns rub against the leather bracers Thranduil wore. "Fuck," she bit her lip and tried to deflect from one pain to the other. The burns were a horrible constant stinging and tearing pain and oh how she wished to trade them for the sharp and dull throb of a broken bone.

Thranduil hushed her and glanced back at the elven army he commanded. Once they had retrieved Katelyn any semblance of militant order was forgotten and the elves had retreated into the woods behind him, running on foot, though not able to keep up with the elk. They would return to the halls, he knew, and so gave it little thought. He noted the twins following just behind on horse and faced forward to hide a smirk, what loyalty she inspired.

The elk galloped through the trees and did not falter in step no matter what obstacle moved to hinder it. It leaped over wood and rock as easily as one would step over a crack in the sidewalk and when the halls had come into view it continued on, straight into the mountain itself and stopped only when it had gone as far as it could within the main hall. It was such a large beast that it could go no farther.

Thranduil slid from its back, one hand resting on Katy's back to keep her steady, and when he was safely on the ground he pulled. He encouraged her to slide down on her own and she complied with the best of her abilities but when her feet touched the ground she crumpled. He caught her before she hit the ground just as the twins pulled their horses to a stop and jumped from their saddles.

"Find the healer," the King commanded to the Mirkwood elves who had gathered about upon hearing the commotion, "Tell him to bring whatever herbs he can find for dragon fire, I am sure he will have some on hand," he muttered darkly and lifted the girl into his arms once more. "Elladan, Elrohir, with me," he ordered.

Katy did not have the mind to feel embarrassed about her position, she was in so much pain, and now she felt nausea stretching to life in her stomach. Her head was pounding and she thought, at least the sickness, was due to her dehydration and exhaustion. She had not the strength to voice this, however, as the ride to Mirkwood had taken everything that she had left. Her arm hung uselessly below her and she was just glad to be out of the wind for it rubbed at her burns in an uncomfortable way. She thought she was happy to be out of the sun as well but she realized that the sun had long since sunken past the horizon. It was the heat that tortured her. Smaug and his foul breath with his belching and snorting, uncaring of her pain, watching in delight as she struggled to tell her stories. She could still feel his hot breath running over her skin.

And yet she could not find it within her to blame him.

"What's wrong with her?" Elladan cried.

"She is sick, I am afraid that anything that comes from a dragon, even fire, caries disease," Thranduil muttered as they sped through the halls.

Katy closed her eyes, tired of seeing the roof of the caves swirling around her in an almost drunken frenzy. She was going to hurl, she just knew it, and the realization that she needed to voice this before she ruined the king's lovely robes occurred to her almost too late. As it was, she had enough time to push herself away from him and out of his grasp. The pain was immense as she hit the ground, landing on her left side, but Thranduil had felt her tense in time to come to a stop and so he thankfully did not trip over her as she ungracefully flopped to the ground and wretched. The bile burned at her throat and it was thick and suffocating because she had nothing, not even water, in her stomach leaving her struggling to clear her throat to breath.

"One of you, get me water, bring it to that room there," he snapped.

Elrohir rushed off, easily the less emotional of the two, and Elladan remained behind frantic as a mother hen and unsure of what to do with himself.

"Why does everything burn?" Katy croaked out and struggled to sit up. Her arms shook and she growled in frustration and pain.

"Hush," Thranduil muttered and helped her to sit up so he could once more scoop her into his arms.

"Don't hush me, you jack ass," she mumbled in delirium, throwing an arm over her face to block out the torchlight.

Thranduil ignored her and waited for Elladan to open the door he had pointed out previously to Elrohir before stepping in and moving over to a bed. This room had a window, and allowed the moonlight to filter in through clear glass, illuminating the four poster bed and small dresser. He set her down atop the covers as gently as he could manage just as Elrohir returned with a jug of water and a ceramic cup in hand. The king took these from him, dipped the cup in the water, and lifted her head enough so that he could dribble the water into her mouth.

Upon feeling the water on her lips Katy moved to reach for the cup but the elf pulled it away from her grasp, "No, you will only vomit again if you guzzle it." He spoke quietly as he worked to slacken her thirst and when he felt that she had enough for the moment he lowered her head back onto the pillow and set the cup on the bedside table.

The healer arrived soon after, armloads of herbs and plants in tow, and a good amount of supplies brought behind by another elf. They quickly went to work on grinding and boiling what they could in the small fireplace while Elladan paced and Elrohir stood on the other side of the bed watching over Katy.

Thranduil was giving her more water, singing in an ancient tongue that the twins did not understand but knew it as the magic their father used when healing more of the grievously injured that came to him, and leaned over to brush her hair out of her face.

Katy felt hot, not like she had just been burned, but as if Smaug's fire had slithered in through her open wounds and taken up nest within her skin. She jerked and twitched and fought against nothing but the sensations within her very flesh. She grit her teeth and groaned in frustration. It was maddening! The feeling of a million little dragons slithering up and down her nerves, gnawing at them, eating away anything and everything until she began to lose feeling in her fingers and toes, it was driving her insane. She tried to roll away from Thranduil, feeling the need to get away from anything that gave off the slightest heat, and wanted to curl into a ball within the cool bed sheets but he pulled her back. Forcing her to lay on her back against her will and holding her by the shoulders.

"Make haste," he snapped at the healer who was just now handing off a bowl of green paste to Elladan who rushed to the bedside and offered it to Thranduil. "Elladan, Elrohir, leave," he commanded, not bothering to spare them so much as a glance.

"But-," Elladan stuttered.

"Out," Thranduil snapped. "See to it that your own wounds are taken care of."

Elrohir rushed to his brother's side and pulled him from the room, shutting the door behind him, and resting against the wall while his brother paced in the open hall.

Thranduil wasted no time in scooping out a good portion of the paste and smoothing it over her burns, she struggling against it at first, trying to push his hands away, but the paste worked to sooth her burns. He started on the burn at her side, layering it over the wound until it was sufficiently covered before moving on to her collarbone and cheek.

The healer continued to boil the herbs in a cauldron over the fire until it released a potent sweet scent. He snatched the ceramic cup from the bedside table and ladled the brackish water into the cup before moving back over to the bed.

Thranduil had calmed the girl down, singing softly as he worked, and had moved on to her arms which he held as gently as he could. He glanced up at the healer and gestured for him to put the brew down on the table before scraping the last of the herbal mix out of the bowl and rubbing it into the wounds on her legs.

"Have someone bring up bandages," he muttered quietly, for Katy's eyes had fallen shut and he was loath to pull her from her peaceful state.

The healer nodded before leaving the room.

Thranduil pulled her boots off and undid the pin at her throat that held her cloak in place and gently slid it out from under her before pulling the sheets loosely over her for she had started to shiver. Once done he reached for the cup on the table, now cooled, and lifted her head once more to pour it as easily as he could into her mouth.

"The pain will diminish over time but the sickness should be gone within the hour," he explained.

"Okay," she mumbled. Her eyes had glued themselves shut against the relief of the burning and she struggled to form a coherent response.

"Rest," he ordered quietly. He placed a cool hand over her forehead, noticing that her fever had gone down, and pulled the blankets over her knowing the paste had long since dried over her burns.

When Thranduil stepped out of the room the twins had slithered past him and gone to sit at her side, hoping to provide what comfort they could to her. He watched them for a moment before pulling the door shut behind him. He walked down the hall, tired and weary, but otherwise content with the situation. He wondered briefly where his son had run off to but found him in the royal wing, pacing about the sitting room before catching sight of him.

"How is she?" Legolas asked.

"She will be fine," he responded, moving towards the window and gazing down at the trees, "though she will no doubt have much scarring." His jaw clenched, feeling the taught pull of his own scarred flesh hidden by the glamor.

"I feared as much," Leoglas murmured darkly. He dropped his gaze to the ornate rug at his feet.

"Do not worry, she is not so vain as to let it bother her," he admonished lightly thoughts wandering to his own memories of dragon burns. There was a moment of silence before he turned to face his son over his shoulder, "Did you hear how she got away from the beast?"

Legolas shook his head, his brows scrunched together in concern and confusion at the growing smile on his father's face.

"She said he liked stories," he answered. The words hung in the air between them, mystical in their simplicity against the complexity of Smaug and the history of Erebor, and caused the prince to gaze at his father uncomprehendingly. "If only every battle could be won with the telling of a story," Thranduil added, turning his gaze back to the window.

"I am sure she wishes the same," Legolas agreed quietly, deep in thought.

"I know she does," Thranduil said. "She has this way of simplifying every situation and making people reevaluate themselves. It is quite intriguing . . ." he trailed off thoughtfully. "Things are different where she is from."

Realizing that his father would say no more of the subject, Legolas left to see for himself that the girl was okay before returning outside to the trees where he found he could think clearly. The sight of the woman laying motionless in her bed, bandaged and raw, had awoken a deep fear and sadness within him for it harshly reminded him of his own father returning home from battle burned and heart broken.

~"Can't take it in"~

"Katelyn."

Katy would have sighed but her lungs were too tired to draw the extra breath needed to do so. She was warm and resting among a pile of blankets that felt too soft to be of any cheap quality and her wounds had long since gone numb though she did not remember how she had gotten them. All she knew was that she was now safe and in good hands and it was okay to sleep. But a soft voice called her name. It echoed around in her mind and drew her tired eyes open.

"Katelyn." It called again. She was confused to find the voice familiar. It was light and joyful.

Her surroundings were dark, darker than they probably should have been, but she suspected it was because she was not actually conscious.

"I always knew you were clever," the voice commented with a laugh.

"Who are you?" she asked, her own voice echoing.

"You know who I am," the voice playfully admonished.

The ring on her finger grew warm, almost hot, and she lifted it to her face to watch a glowing blue light erupt from the silver band and separate. It floated up into the air, a small star, flickering with laughter. It stopped eye level of her.

"I wanted to tell you that you are on the right track," it said. "There are many things in this world that are meant to happen but I realized they would need a bit of a nudge so I waited for you."

"What's so special about me?" she asked, her brows scrunched together and her mind struggling to pull the pieces together. She had a fuzzy idea of what had happened to her, she knew she was in Middle Earth, but the exact details of the past seven years were a blur to her. At that moment she was more of the girl from Florida than ever. She was fighting the urge to ask what time it was and was struggling to remember if she had work or not.

"Nothing really," the star flickered, "but you were the first to find me and I liked you."

"Really?" she snorted.

"Well, you were born just as the last of the magic in the world disappeared," it relented almost reluctantly. Then as if it felt that further explanation was actually a good idea it added, "It went to you, little one, you would not have made it without its help."

"What was it that helped me?" she asked, curious and concerned. She leaned towards the glowing blue ball of light, feeling the warmth it gave off across her cheeks.

"A star," it stated simply.

"A star?" she blinked in surprise. "Like you?"

"No," it chuckled, "I am no star. I appear before you in this form because only a part of me is within the ring. This is all that I could manifest from such a great distance."

"Oh!" she wanted to smack herself in the forehead for she knew who he was, but the name would not come to her.

"Yes, now I think it is time for you to get some actual sleep, dragon burns are not the easiest thing to come back from," the light advised.

Katy nodded but reached her hands out as if to cup the star within her palms. The warmth was so pleasant that she found herself smiling. She was so caught up in the moment, because with that warmth came thoughts of her family and loved ones, that she did not notice when her surroundings became less dark and more prominent. She could see the bed she had been sitting in, the night stand to her right, and the window that allowed moonlight to spill across the floor.

"Who were you speaking to?"

Katy turned to look at the door where Thranduil stood. He was staring at her curiously and with a hint of suspicion. She did not know how to respond and simply smiled "A star."

He remained silent, staring at her ragged and sleep mussed form, and allowed his eyes to wonder around her room searchingly. He had come by to check on her, as it had been a few hours since she had actually fallen to sleep, he had suspected she would have a relapse in fever.

Katy dropped her hands into her lap as the king moved further into her room and shut the door quietly. He had no doubt that the twins were somewhere in the kitchens searching for food now that they knew Katy was well on the way to recovery. He moved over stone and rug quietly, not even his robes dragging along behind him made a noise, and sat in the chair at her bedside.

"Where is this star?" he asked quietly.

She examined him carefully before lifting her hand and pulling at the ring. Unlike all the other times when she had tried to pull it off and pass it on to someone else it slid off easily for the king to see. "He's not really a star, but he looks like one," she explained. "See?" she lifted the ring so that Thranduil could see the small star engraved within the silver band.

"Oh?" he raised his brows, blue eyes reflecting the sparkling silver curiously.

"He said that a star sacrificed itself so I could live and that is why he chose me," she whispered. "The last of all the worlds magic gave itself up so I could live and that is why it is my job to bring it back."

"That is quite the heavy burden," he murmured in quite awe.

"Yes, but do you know what that means?" she asked.

The atmosphere in the room was not heavy, it was rather light and filled with a hushed wonder, causing them to speak in whispers. The two were leaning towards each other to hear, curious to each other's reactions, as if they were sharing a great secret. One that all of the world was oblivious to and they were the only ones to ever know.

"What does it mean?" he asked, angling his face to look at her from the corner of his eyes like he so often did, almost as if he were suspicious but the light in his eyes was nearly joyful.

"There is magic here."

The four words strung together held so much meaning in them that it sounded as if she had layered it with an enchantment of her own. Her eyes were bright and mirthful, watching the king as he processed what she said before smiling kindly, and she grinned. Her world which was dark and grey and filled with gasoline and grease and all things sickly had held magic. Despite the wars and racism, hatred and anger, despite the money hungry business men and struggling single mothers, the divorces, the hopelessness, diseases and cancers, car accidents and atom bombs, despite all the strife and complacent contempt . . .There had been a spark of magic. Just enough to save a life despite all odds and likely hoods. That star had watched as its companions withered and died, as the world darkened and turned to money and media and war, and decided to give itself up in hopes of bringing to life what once had been.

And now it burned from behind her eyes.

"I understand Tinusell," he said.

~ "The Call"~

When Katy awoke the next day there was light streaming in through her window and she welcomed it gladly. It spilled over her bed and illuminated the two forms, each on a chair on separate sides of the bed, heads resting on the mattress and deep in slumber. She smiled at the twins and chuckled, turning her gaze outside, and taking in the treetops and blue sky.

"Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I were to go on an adventure . . ."she said quietly, watching as a bird flit past her window.

"What did you say?" Elrohir asked. He rubbed at his eyes and pushed himself into proper position on his chair, stretching.

"It's a beautiful day," Katy answered with a grin.

He turned to look out the window and then turned back to her, and impish smile on his face, "Everyone uses weather to start an awkward conversation."

"Or to avoid one," she added with an impish smirk of her own.

"They call you Dragon Charmer now," Elrohir changed the subject. He laughed at her dumbfounded expression and simultaneously woke his brother, who jerked into consciousness.

"Dragon Charmer? Sounds pretty bad ass," Katy muttered, rubbing at her chin thoughtfully.

"Yes, yes, you have a tittle now," Elladan growled. "It would be even better if we had some breakfast." He rubbed at his head as if he were recovering from a hangover himself and stood, turning away from the two, and consequently the day light as well.

"Always so grumpy when he's hungry," Katy commented dryly. She pushed the blankets away, taking in her bandaged body with a grimace.

"I'll have you know we spent the whole night worrying over you so the least you could do is show some gratitude," Elladan snapped.

"Yes your highness," Katy mock bowed to him from her seated position. "Though I know for a fact that you two were rummaging through the kitchens last night for food while I fought off a fever and struggled with these burns."

"Says who?" Elladan shot back.

"A little deer told me," she hinted with raised brows, picking at some dried paste sticking out from a bandage on her arm.

"What?!" Elladan growled.

"Can we skip the arguing and just find food?" Elrohir interrupted with a sigh.

**A/N: Tinusell is a really rough translation of Daughter of a Spark/Small Star. **


	10. Chapter 10

Thank you for reading!

This story was meant as an introduction for Katelyn Jones. She has much ahead of her and I plan on taking her all the way through up to Lord of The Rings and beyond as she struggles to recreate the magic the world once had.

If you are interested in the continuation of this story go ahead and Review. Leave all of your thoughts, opinions, constructive criticism, flames, or ideas in that review box and I will love you forever! If you have any questions just PM me and I will get back to you as soon as possible!

Thank you!


	11. Sequel Posted!

Hey guys, just thought I'd let you know that I have begun posting the sequel to The Lady of Time: Dragon Charmer. It is titled The Lady of Time: Coward. Go ahead and check it out!


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